Over 270 unvaccinated students are under quarantine in South Carolina and Minnesota amid a rapidly spreading measles outbreak ignited by low vaccination rates.
In South Carolina, 153 children in Greenville and Spartanburg counties are quarantining for 21 days following exposure.
According to state epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell, a new case Greenville with no association to other known infections signals unrecognized community transmission,
Nearly 118 students in Minnesota are currently in quarantine in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area after exposure there.
Both states have strongly advised the infected students to stay home for three weeks, the typical incubation period for measles symptoms, including fever, cough, rash, and red, watery eyes.
Vaccination rates in Spartanburg and Greenville counties are nearly 90%, below the 95% needed for herd immunity. Two schools in South Carolina have reported confirmed cases.
Currently, Minnesota has confirmed 20 cases in 2025.
Meanwhile, a multi-state outbreak in Utah and Arizona has reached an astonishing number of cases, hitting 100 infections.
Nationwide, the CDC has reported 1,563 measles cases in 2025, mostly from domestic spread. The US had eliminated measles in 2000; however, declining rates of childhood vaccination rates are likely to threaten its status.
