US reports 168 new measles cases with outbreak in South Carolina

Jessica Nix, Bloomberg News on Jan 14, 2026

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The U.S. measles outbreak that drove cases to a 34-year high in 2025 shows no signs of slowing, as 168 more people have become infected since the start of the new year.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported Wednesday that a total of 171 cases have been confirmed this year in nine states. On Tuesday, South Carolina reported 124 new infections in just a few days. None of the new infections stemmed from international visitors, the primary source in prior years.

South Carolina’s total cases since its measles outbreak began in October have reached 434, with more than 400 people quarantined after exposures in local schools and churches. This is the second-largest state tally the U.S. has seen in the past year, trailing only Texas’ 2025 outbreak that infected 990 people.

“A lot of these cases are a result of activities over the holidays,” said South Carolina state epidemiologist Linda Bell in a call with reporters Wednesday.

For the U.S., 2,242 people were confirmed with measles across 44 states in 2025, which was the largest count since 1991.

The CDC also said Wednesday that it will start releasing new measles case updates on Fridays.

The agency’s latest tally comes as it is pulling together its argument for why the country should keep its measles elimination status.

A country loses this global status after a year of ongoing transmission, and the one-year mark for Texas’s outbreak is looming. That outbreak was declared over in August, and so far, the U.S. says that no other outbreak has been genetically linked to it. However, if a link of continuous transmission is found or the Pan American Health Organization committee determines the U.S. no longer has control over the disease, the country is in jeopardy of losing that designation.

It’s merely a label, but it shows how the disease has taken hold in the U.S. after the country achieved elimination in 2000 following a big public health messaging and vaccination campaign.

Measles is a highly contagious disease that leads to a rash, fever and flu-like symptoms. Severe cases can end in pneumonia, even death. Last year, Texas recorded two deaths in unvaccinated children — the first measles related deaths in a decade.

Nine out of 10 people who are unvaccinated are likely to contract measles, according to the CDC. In South Carolina, the majority of the cases are among unvaccinated individuals.

Bell said it was a “disappointment” to see hundreds of infections that could have been prevented.

U.S. public support for the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is sliding, especially among Republican voters. In the 2024-2025 school year, fewer than 93% of kindergartners were inoculated. That’s well below the 95% herd immunity level needed to protect a community from the disease rapidly spreading.

The MMR vaccine is 97% effective in protecting from infection after two doses.