The measles outbreak in the southeastern state of South Carolina has reached over 600 cases, according to authorities on Tuesday. The outbreak is still spreading throughout the United States.
Measles is making a comeback in a number of wealthy nations, including the United States, which is going through its biggest outbreak of the extremely contagious disease in over 30 years, amid growing public mistrust of immunizations.
In 2025, the nation reported almost 2,200 cases and three fatalities, including two young children. The number of infections has continued to rise in 2026.
Vaccine skeptic Robert F. Kennedy Jr., President Donald Trump’s health secretary, has been charged with exacerbating vaccine-related anxieties.
In South Carolina, 88 new cases have been reported since Friday, the state’s public health department said Tuesday, bringing the total number of infections to 646 since the outbreak was detected last fall.
The majority of those infected were unvaccinated, the department said. Cases have been identified at elementary, middle and high schools as well as two universities.
Measles infections have been reported in eight other states since the beginning of the year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the leading health agency in the United States.
Health officials are concerned that the United States may lose its “measles-free” designation, which it obtained in 2000 when immunizations eradicated the illness.
The Pan American Health Organization will reevaluate the measles situation in the US and Mexico, which is also seeing a recurrence of the illness, in April.
After reporting over 5,000 incidents the previous year, Canada’s designation was revoked in November.
Measles results in fever, rash, and respiratory problems. Pneumonia and brain inflammation are examples of major consequences that can have fatal long-term repercussions.
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