South Carolina measles outbreak grows to 185 cases amid vaccination worries

Al JazeeraCenterEN 4 min read 100% complete by Al Jazeera StaffJanuary 2, 2026 at 09:56 PM

AI Summary

long article 4 min

A measles outbreak in South Carolina has grown to 185 cases as of January 2026, following a year when the US saw its highest number of measles cases in over three decades. State officials report that the majority of those infected, 172 individuals, had not received the MMR vaccine. Measles was declared eliminated in the US over 25 years ago due to the success of the MMR vaccine, but vaccine hesitancy is believed to be contributing to the virus's spread. Measles is highly infectious, particularly among children, and can lead to complications. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that one infected person could spread the virus to nine out of ten unvaccinated individuals.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Sudan 30% Canada 40% World Health Organization 60% United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 70% United States ×680% MMR vaccine ×485% South Carolina 90% Measles ×895%

Keywords

measles outbreak 100% mmr vaccine 90% vaccination 80% vaccine hesitancy 70% south carolina 60% disease elimination 50% infectious disease 50% public health 40%