Copyright Charleston Post and Courier
There are eight new confirmed cases of measles in South Carolina as an outbreak centered around Spartanburg County climbs to 43, the state Department of Public Health reported Nov. 12. Total measles cases since July stand at 46. Six of the new cases are household contacts of people previously exposed to measles who were in quarantine. The source of the two other new cases, who live together, is still being investigated, the state said. There are 13 people currently in quarantine - down from 31 the previous week - with one in isolation, public health said. The state has been relying on a system of quickly identifying and quarantining close contacts of known cases to try and reduce the spread of the outbreak, which began Oct. 2. Quarantine typically lasts 21 days. While two schools in Spartanburg County were the initial focus of the outbreak, a gym in Greenville and an unidentified Spartanburg business have also seen cases. Public Health also alerted the public Nov. 10 that a restaurant in Spartanburg - Kanpai of Tokyo - had been visited by someone infected with measles on Nov. 2 and urged anyone there from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. that day to seek out their health care provider if they believe they were exposed, particularly if they are unvaccinated or otherwise do not have immunity or have begun showing signs of infection. Symptoms usually show up a week to two weeks after exposure and include high fever, cough, runny nose, or red, watery eyes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The tell-tale rash of red spots usually follows three to five days after symptoms start, starting on the face and spreading downward, the CDC said. Vaccination is the most effective way to prevent infection and two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine offer 97 percent or greater lifetime protection, doctors have said. Public Health is offering no-cost doses of the MMR vaccine at its mobile clinics in Spartanburg County. The latest clinic will be held from noon to 4 p.m. at Lyman First Baptist Church, 80 Groce Road.
