Over 130 unvaccinated students across two South Carolina schools are currently in quarantine following exposure to measles, amidst an active outbreak in the state. This situation, public health specialists caution, indicates a potential increase in cases throughout the current school year.

This Tuesday, the South Carolina Department of Public Health confirmed the state’s 16th measles case for the year. The previous week, during a media briefing, public health officials announced that over 100 unvaccinated students from Global Academy and Fairforest Elementary School had been exposed to measles and would be kept out of school for 21 days, marking the conclusion of the potential transmission period.

Among the 16 reported cases in the state, five individuals were exposed in educational environments and have been self-isolating at home recently, as reported by South Carolina health authorities.

Dr. Paul Offit, who directs the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, highlighted that the measles exposure among South Carolina students illustrates why a surge in cases is a concern as children resume in-person learning.

“There’s an increasing number of vulnerable children whose parents opted against vaccination,” Offit stated. “Given that this is the most transmissible human infection, it’s not unexpected to see the virus resurge as students return to school and we move into the colder months of winter and early spring.”

The outbreak in South Carolina is occurring as measles cases surge nationwide. This past summer, U.S. measles cases reached a , prompting public health experts to caution that other diseases might also see a similar comeback. Minnesota is also experiencing an outbreak; as of last week, there are in the state this year.

Health authorities have emphasized that the most effective protection against measles is vaccination with the , usually given in two doses during childhood. Specialists noted that a successful immunization initiative largely contributed to measles being declared eradicated from the nation over twenty years ago. However, vaccination rates have in recent years, leading to a sharp rise in measles cases.

The (CDC) states that if over 95% of individuals within a community are immunized against measles, mumps, and rubella, then “most people are protected through community immunity.” Yet, CDC data indicates that merely 92.7% of kindergarteners were vaccinated during the 2023-2024 academic year. This figure has fallen to approximately 90% in certain areas of South Carolina, according to .

As of the previous week, the CDC has reported 1,563 measles cases this year. A significant number of these cases stem from a Texas outbreak that started in late January, affecting over 700 individuals and causing the deaths of two unvaccinated children in Texas and an unvaccinated adult in New Mexico.

In August, Texas health authorities declared the outbreak concluded, but warned that the disease’s danger persisted. At that point, Offit expressed that although the Texas outbreak had lessened, he was concerned that case counts would escalate again within months.

Offit additionally voiced apprehension that the CDC’s confirmed national case figures are understated. He criticized , a vaccine skeptic known for to the nation’s , for impairing health agencies’ capacity to trace and monitor the illness.

“I believe not only is this situation deteriorating, but we won’t be fully aware of it due to the surveillance capabilities being significantly weakened by our Secretary of Health and Human Services,” Offit commented.