Clemson University Confirms Measles Case Amid South Carolina Outbreak

A case of measles was confirmed at Clemson University, according to the school. In a press release published Saturday, Clemson officials were informed by the South Carolina Department of Public Health that an individual affiliated with the university was confirmed to have measles. Other WRAL Top Stories This person has been isolated per the department's requirements, and the department is conducting contact tracing with people who may have been exposed. The release added that according to the most recent data from Clemson's Student Health Services, nearly 98% of main campus students have provided proof of immunity. A person infected with measles is contagious four days before and after a rash begins. Isolation of an actively infectious case lasts until four full days have passed after the onset of the rash, and dates of isolation are determined by DPH. Quarantine for measles is reserved for exposed individuals without documented immunity and lasts for 21 days after the last exposure per DPH guidelines. If a person without documented immunity receives a dose of the MMR vaccine within 72 hours after the last exposure, they do not have to quarantine. This announcement by the university comes in the midst of a surge in reported measles cases in South Carolina. As of Friday, Jan. 16, cases surged by almost 30%, according to state health officials. The South Carolina health department reported 124 new cases since last Tuesday, bringing the state's total to 558 in a wave of infections centered around an outbreak in Spartanburg County. Since the holidays, South Carolina's measles outbreak has exploded into the worst in the U.S. Measles also have been reported this year in Arizona, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, Ohio, Oregon, Utah and Virginia, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.