The Upstate South Carolina measles outbreak has grown by 2 more cases, raising the state total to 25.
Health officials said both infections were linked to close contacts of known cases, who had been under quarantine at home following exposures at two schools with a high percentage of unvaccinated students.
Of the state’s 25 cases, 22 have occurred as part of the Upstate outbreak.
New York’s Rockland County has reported its second measles case in the past 3 months. The cases are notable as Rockland County was the site of a large 2018-19 measles outbreak and is home to a significant unvaccinated population.
This new case is not connected to the previous measles case in August, county health officials said. The new patient reported a rash shortly after returning from an international trip last week.
Canada sees more than 5,000 measles cases
Today marks 1 year of continuous measles transmission in Canada, a cycle of virus activity that threatens the country's elimination status.
Canada has had more than 5,100 cases since fall 2024, more than double the number recorded in the past 25 years combined. The country eliminated measles in 1998, but that status is now in jeopardy as elimination status requires an absence of local virus transmission for at least 12 months.
According to CNN, the Pan American Health Organization will assess the elimination status of several North American countries at an annual meeting next month.
About 90% of the cases reported in Canada in the last year have been in unvaccinated residents, and all but 157 cases have been associated with the outbreak that began in October 2024 in Ontario.
Israel says another child has died of measles
Finally today, The Jerusalem Post is reporting that an eighth child has died from measles in an ongoing nationwide outbreak in Israel.
The child was a 2-year-old girl. All deaths in this outbreak have been in unvaccinated children under age 3 years.
