In early November, the South Carolina Department of Public Health opened a pop-up mobile vaccine clinic in a library parking lot in Boiling Springs. Dozens of people in South Carolina’s Upstate region have been diagnosed with measles this fall. (Photo by Lauren Sausser/KFF Health News)
COLUMBIA — More than 280 people are in quarantine for measles after a significant influx in cases following the Thanksgiving holiday, the state health department said Friday.
An Upstate outbreak reached 84 cases as of Friday, up 22 from last week, according to the department. That includes cases linked to eight schools, whose students account for about 200 of the people in quarantine.
“It’s very unfortunate that we’re seeing this ballooning of cases now,” Bell said. “Though we anticipated a possible increase in cases after Thanksgiving, this is alarming.”
Quarantining students who don’t develop symptoms can return to school between Thursday and Dec. 15, depending on when their quarantine began, according to the health department. But health officials are worried about cases continuing to increase as people travel for Christmas and other winter holidays.
Also of concern is the possibility that people infected with the highly contagious disease may break quarantine and further spread the disease, Bell said.
Most of the people infected developed symptoms after a known exposure to another case, and most people are following the health department’s recommendations about staying home during the virus’ 21-day incubation period.
“We want to make sure people are fully aware of the risk that they pose to the community if they do not stay in quarantine,” Bell said.
Without saying how many, she added that some people have broken their quarantine, risking community transmission, she said. Eight reported cases so far came from an exposure at Way of Truth Church in Inman, one example of how much the disease can spread.
The state will not require people to stay home or get vaccinated, Gov. Henry McMaster told reporters this week. However, he also warned that measles can be deadly in certain cases.
“We don’t want to force or have a mandate, but we need people to be very careful, because it is a dangerous disease,” McMaster said.
Of the 84 people infected as part of the outbreak, 77 were unvaccinated, according to the health department. Another three had received one dose of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine, one was fully vaccinated, and three have unknown vaccination statuses.
Vaccination is the best way of preventing measles infections, according to the department.
Getting two doses of the vaccine, as most people do during childhood, is about 97% effective in protecting against measles, the agency has said.
Vaccine rates in this South Carolina county lagged for years. Then measles struck.
The vaccine also works within three days of exposure. Adults who are unvaccinated or aren’t sure whether they have received both doses of the vaccine can get their shots at a public health department clinic, doctor’s office or pharmacy.
Symptoms can begin between one and three weeks after exposure, usually starting with a cough, runny nose, red, watery eyes, and a fever.
Within several days, infected people develop a red, blotchy rash that typically starts on the face before spreading to the rest of the body.
Measles can cause severe illness, potentially leading to pneumonia or even death, especially in young children.
The Department of Public Health doesn’t track the outcomes of infections, but it has not received any reports of severe complications, Bell said.
