Measles cases reach 847 in South Carolina outbreak

The South Carolina Department of Public Health announced Jan. 30 that the state's measles outbreak now has 847 cases. The agency said most cases are close contacts of known cases, but the number of public exposure sites indicate that the disease is circulating through community spread, increasing the risk of exposure and infection for individuals who are not immune due to vaccination or natural infection. The state's outbreak began in October. Nationally, 588 cases have been reported since Jan. 1 across 17 jurisdictions, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Of those cases, 94% are outbreak-associated. Additionally, the vaccination status of 94% of cases is classified as unvaccinated or unknown.