South Carolina reports 99 new measles cases

On Jan 9, 2026, South Carolina health officials announced 99 new measles cases, bringing the state's total to 310 and adding 200 people into quarantine, mostly in Spartanburg County. Epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell warned that identified quarantine numbers under‑represent actual exposure, citing that a single case can spark up to 20 secondary infections. The state issued a health alert on Jan 7 urging healthcare providers to use masks and isolate suspected cases. The outbreak occurs amid the U.S. reaching its highest measles count in 30 years—over 2,000 cases last month and 2,144 last year—highlighting low MMR vaccination rates: 92.5% of 2024‑2025 kindergarteners received the vaccine, down from 95.2% in 2019‑2020.