Health officials in South Carolina are warning that the highly contagious measles virus is spreading undetected in communities in the northern part of the state, particularly in Spartanburg and Greenville counties.
Last week, officials in Greenville identified an eighth case of measles that may be linked to the outbreak. As of September 25, seven outbreak cases had been confirmed in neighboring Spartanburg, where transmission was identified at two schools: Fairforest Elementary and Global Academy, a public charter school.
At these two schools, at least 153 unvaccinated children have been exposed to the virus and have been quarantined for 21 days, during which they will not be allowed to attend school, state officials said at a news conference. Twenty-one days is the maximum incubation period, ranging from when a person is exposed to when they would develop a rash if infected.
It's unclear how the latest case in Greenville became infected with the virus and how they might be related to the nearby cases in Spartanburg.
“What this case tells us is that there is active, unrecognized community transmission of measles happening in the Upstate. [northern region of South Carolina]making it critical to ensure the public has received measles vaccinations,” the South Carolina Department of Public Health said in an announcement.
The two recommended doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine are about 97 percent effective at blocking the infection, and that protection is considered lifelong. Without that protection, the virus is extremely contagious, infecting 90 percent of unvaccinated people who are exposed to it. The virus spreads easily through the air and lingers in the airspace of a room for up to two hours after an infected person has left.
