COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina Department of Public Health officials reported eight new measles cases, increasing the total number of cases in the state to 46.
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Officials have confirmed that six of the eight new cases are connected to previous patients who were quarantined.
Currently, 13 people are in quarantine and one person is in isolation.
DPH is actively responding to a measles outbreak in the Upstate region.
As of Wednesday, DPH reports 46 cases of measles since July 9, with 43 cases centered around Spartanburg County.
DPH confirmed a measles outbreak in the Upstate region on Oct. 2.
An outbreak is defined as three or more cases of the same infectious disease linked to a common exposure.
There has been a rise in measles cases in the Upstate this year, with most concentrated in Spartanburg County.
Some cases are travel-related exposures or close contacts of known cases, while others have no identified source, suggesting that measles is circulating in the community and could spread further.
Measles has been observed to spread quickly in unvaccinated households and communities in South Carolina.
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