Serving Barnwell County and its neighbors since 1852
COLUMBIA — A third person this year has tested positive for measles in South Carolina, according to the Department of Public Health. Nationwide, more than 1,400 people this year have tested positive for the disease thought eliminated in 2000. Three people, two in Texas and one in New Mexico, have died from measles in the U.S. this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The Upstate resident, who was unvaccinated and had not previously had measles, recently returned from an international trip to a country with a measles outbreak, according to the state health department, which did not name the country.
The Department of Public Health also declined to provide the person’s age, sex or the county where they live because of privacy concerns, according to a news release.
The first case this year, reported in July, also came from an unvaccinated Upstate resident who had recently been out of the country. They infected a second person soon after, who was also unvaccinated, according to the public health department.
One person tested positive for measles in 2024 following an international trip. The state had an outbreak of six cases in 2018, but the last case before that was in 1997. Measles is highly infectious and can be fatal, especially in children. Often, people with measles will notice a fever, cough and runny nose, followed by a rash that lasts about a week. The disease can cause pneumonia and brain swelling in severe cases, according to the health department.
The measles vaccine is highly effective, according to the health department. Of the people who have tested positive for the disease across the country this year, 92% were unvaccinated, according to the CDC.
Typically, children receive a first dose of the measles vaccine between 12 and 15 months of age and a second between 4 and 6 years.
South Carolina’s rate of vaccination for school-age children has fallen in recent years, from about 96% during the 2020-2021 school year to about 94% in 2024-2025, according to health department data.
The state remained on par with national levels of kindergarteners receiving at least one dose of the vaccine during the 2023-2024 school year, according to the CDC’s most recent available data.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This story is republished with permission by the S.C. Daily Gazette.
