South Carolina's measles outbreak nears 790 cases — making it the biggest in decades

Illustration of giant multinucleated cells seen during microscopy of biopsy specimens from people with measles infection.

The ongoing measles outbreak in South Carolina has reached a staggering 789 cases, making it the largest outbreak of the disease since the U.S. eliminated measles in 2000.

According to CNN, Texas previously held the record, with an outbreak that hit 762 cases between January and August 2025. That outbreak claimed the lives of two school-age children in the state. No deaths have been reported during the South Carolina outbreak yet.