South Carolina health officials declared the state's measles outbreak over on Sunday after the state passed 42 days with no new outbreak-related cases. A total of 997 people were sickened by measles in South Carolina since October 2025, with at least 21 hospitalized.

The outbreak was centered in northwestern Spartanburg County and never spread statewide. State health officials estimate the outbreak response cost $2.1 million.

"The outbreak was predominantly contained to one area of one county and never went statewide, thanks to timely investigations, identification of those exposed, and people's willingness to stay home." said Dr. Edward Simmer, interim director of the South Carolina Department of Public Health.

The public health department sent nearly 2,300 quarantine letters, made more than 1,670 case investigation calls, and quarantined 874 students across seven school districts during the outbreak. More than 650 measles cases were confirmed in January 2026 alone.

Nearly 82,000 measles vaccines were administered in South Carolina from October 2025 to March 2026, an increase of more than 30% from the same period a year prior. Spartanburg County saw a 94% increase in measles vaccinations over the same period a year prior.

The South Carolina outbreak eclipsed the 2025 West Texas measles outbreak that sickened at least 762 people and killed two school-age children. A case linked to international travel in Saluda County led 41 people to quarantine last week.

As of April 2026, the U.S. has logged 1,792 measles cases this year and recorded 22 new outbreaks in 2026. Texas has confirmed 180 cases and Florida has confirmed 134 cases, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Since August 2025, 607 people have been sickened in Utah's measles outbreak. Each of Utah's 13 local health districts has logged at least one case, and southwestern Utah has recorded 258 cases, the most of any region in the state. Mohave County, Arizona, has confirmed 282 cases in the current outbreak.

The measles virus has resurged across the Americas since a major outbreak started in Canada in fall 2024. Childhood measles vaccination rates in the U.S. have fallen for years as more parents opt out of school-required shots. The measles vaccine is 97% effective after two doses.

International health officials will determine in November whether the U.S. has lost its measles elimination status, which it has maintained since 2000.