The explosive measles outbreak in South Carolina has now reached 789 cases, breaking Texas’s outbreak record last year of 762 cases, which at the time was the largest outbreak in the US since measles was declared eliminated from the US in 2000. The country is at grave risk of losing its elimination status in the coming months due to continuous spread.
With Texas’ outbreak last year—which spanned January to August and spread to additional states—the US saw the largest measles case total since 1991, with 2,255 confirmed cases. Now, with South Carolina’s unbridled outbreak, 2026 is already looking like it will be another record year.
Though South Carolina’s outbreak began in October, the spread of the disease has dramatically accelerated this month, with cases jumping from 218 on December 28 to 789 on January 27.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting a national tally of 416 confirmed cases since the start of the year, but the total was last updated on January 22, missing the latest cases, including the 89 South Carolina cases reported Tuesday.
In addition to South Carolina, measles cases for 2026 have been reported in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Minnesota, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Utah, Virginia, and Washington. A large outbreak of the highly infectious virus is ongoing at the border of Utah and Arizona. Collectively, the states have reported 457 cases amid the outbreak, including 66 reported in 2026.
Measles is one of the most infectious viruses we know of and can linger in the airspace of a room for up to two hours after an infected person has been present. Among unvaccinated people exposed to an infectious person, up to 90 percent will become ill. Many infections are only identified when measles’ telltale rash develops, but a person can be infectious for four days before that rash develops, allowing the virus to more easily spread. People remain infectious for four days after the rash appears. In newly infected people, symptoms, which also include high fevers, typically begin 7 to 14 days after exposure, but this incubation period can be as long as 21 days, which is the length of quarantine.
In its latest update, South Carolina’s Public Health Department reported data indicating that its large case jumps will continue. In recent weeks, officials have identified 23 schools where measles has been unleashed. In 20 of the schools, unvaccinated and exposed students have been identified and quarantined, with individual schools’ quarantine totals spanning 13 to 59 students. For the remaining three schools with exposures, officials are still determining how many students need to be quarantined.
State officials have also identified eight public places where measles exposures have occurred recently, including grocery stores, a US Post Office, and a skating center.
For now, 557 students are quarantined, but additional susceptible people have likely been exposed.
Among the 789 cases, 769 (97 percent) were unvaccinated or partially vaccinated or had an undocumented vaccination status. Two doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine are 97 percent effective against measles, and that protection is considered lifelong.
Who is Doorman? Wonder Man just introduced an obscure Avengers hero