Possible Measles Exposure in South Carolina

Health officials in South Carolina are alerting the public about a possible measles exposure at a Walmart store. According to the South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH), this potential exposure occurred at the Walmart located at 11410 Anderson Road in Powdersville on February 8, between 4 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Individuals who might have been exposed at Walmart—particularly those without immunity from vaccination or prior infection—are advised to watch for symptoms until March 1.

Additionally, the DPH is reporting a possible exposure at Libertas Academy, where 17 individuals have been placed in quarantine. Recent data indicates that there have been 12 new cases since Friday, pushing the total number of cases associated with the Upstate outbreak to 962.

As of Tuesday, the DPH noted that 127 people are currently in quarantine and eight are in isolation, with quarantine expected to end for some by March 11.

While complications are not routinely reported to the DPH, it has been reported that 20 individuals, both adults and children, have been hospitalized due to complications since the outbreak began. Some additional cases required medical attention for measles but were not admitted to hospitals.

To maintain privacy, the DPH does not disclose personal health information that could identify individuals.

The most effective way to prevent measles and control the outbreak remains vaccination. Vaccines are accessible at many primary care offices, pharmacies, and DPH Health Departments.

In an effort to address the ongoing outbreak in the Upstate, DPH plans to deploy its Mobile Health Unit to provide measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccines at no charge. This will take place on March 3 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Grace Community Church, located at 570 Magnolia Street in Spartanburg.

For more information on the ongoing measles outbreak, visit the DPH’s dedicated webpage. Additional data regarding the outbreak can be found on the Measles Dashboard.