By Siddhi Mahatole and Kamal Choudhury
Feb 11 (Reuters) – Daily measles cases in South Carolina have been declining in recent days, but it is too early to determine whether the outbreak is slowing, a state health official said on Wednesday.
“We have had lower day-by-day counts of reported measles cases recently. That is potentially an indication that this could be slowing, but really, it is still too early to tell,” state epidemiologist Linda Bell said during a press briefing.
South Carolina reported a surge to 933 measles cases since October on Tuesday, state health data showed, including 13 additional infections since Friday.
Bell said about 95% of cases are in unvaccinated individuals, with the outbreak remaining concentrated in Spartanburg County, where 890 cases are located.
Separately on Wednesday, NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya also added his support for Americans vaccinating themselves against measles.
“The answer is yes,” Bhattacharya said about the vaccines when asked by Reuters about recent outbreaks.
On Sunday, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz had urged Americans to take the measles vaccine in an interview with CNN. “Take the vaccine, please,” he said.
Bell urged residents statewide to get vaccinated regardless of county lines, warning that measles can cause severe long‑term complications, including a rare but fatal brain disease called subacute sclerosing panencephalitis.
“It (SSPE) can occur from 7 to 10 years after a person seems to have fully recovered (from measles),” she said.
There were additional sporadic cases in counties such as Lancaster and Sumter, suggesting undetected community transmission, Bell added.
South Carolina has seen a 72% increase in MMR vaccinations statewide in January, Bell said, adding that while it is encouraging, the state is still “coming from behind” on coverage.
Calling the current situation “unprecedented”, she noted the state had not seen anything similar in decades.
As of February 5, 733 confirmed measles cases were reported in the United States in 2026, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
(Reporting by Siddhi Mahatole and Kamal Choudhury in Bengaluru and Bo Erickson in Washington; Editing by Vijay Kishore and Krishna Chandra Eluri)
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