Dec 26 (Reuters) – The South Carolina health department on Friday reported 156 cases of measles linked to an ongoing outbreak in the state, with three new cases added since the last update on Tuesday.
According to the South Carolina Department of Public Health, the outbreak is growing in the northwest region of the state, which includes Greenville and Spartanburg.
The three new cases are due to previously reported school exposures.
The department said there are currently 252 people in isolation, including three in isolation. Of those infected, 148 were unvaccinated, 3 were partially vaccinated with one of the recommended two doses of measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, 1 was fully vaccinated, and 4 had unknown vaccination status.
Most cases occurred in children in the age group of 5 to 17 years, followed by children below 5 years.
Measles is a highly contagious viral infection that causes symptoms such as fever, cough, and characteristic rash. It can also lead to serious complications such as pneumonia and encephalitis.
(Reporting by Sriparna Roy, Mariam Sunny and Siddhi Mahatole in Bengaluru; Editing by Shailesh Kuber)