Proponents of vaccines warn that the efforts will further dismantle the immunization infrastructure and lead to more outbreaks of disease.

© Erin Schaff/The New York Times

The country’s confirmed cases have topped 9,000 since last year, raising fears that a high-stakes evaluation in April could lead to its status being revoked.

© Marco Ugarte/Associated Press

The explosive measles outbreak in South Carolina has now reached 789 cases, breaking Texas's outbreak record last year of 762 cases, which at the time was the largest outbreak in the US since measles was declared eliminated from the US in 2000. The country is at grave risk of losing its elimination status in the coming months due to continuous spread.

With Texas' outbreak last year—which spanned January to August and spread to additional states—the US saw the largest measles case total since 1991, with 2,255 confirmed cases. Now, with South Carolina's unbridled outbreak, 2026 is already looking like it will be another record year.

Though South Carolina's outbreak began in October, the spread of the disease has dramatically accelerated this month, with cases jumping from 218 on December 28 to 789 on January 27.

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