The South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH) has identified seven new cases of measles in Spartanburg County, according to a Nov. 28 update.
While many recent cases of infection have come from unknown sources, DPH investigators have information about the origin of the new cases.
Six of the cases came from inside homes where a person was already infected, and one occurred in a school. All newly infected people were already under quarantine, according to DPH officials.
The South Carolina Department of Public Health continues to monitor a measles outbreak in Spartanburg County.
Officials warn, however, that there was a public exposure — at the Spartanburg Costco store, located at 211 W. Blackstock Road, on Nov. 18 between 9:30 am and 1 pm
They encourage anyone who may have been in the store during those hours — specifically at the tire center — and has not been vaccinated against measles or made immune through a previous infection to monitor for symptoms.
A person infected with measles usually experiences symptoms between seven and 12 days after exposure. Early symptoms include cough, runny nose, and mild to moderate fever. After that, the infected person is likely to experience a high fever and a red, splotchy rash.
DPH officials encourage those who believe they may have measles to contact their health care provider immediately – before visiting a doctor’s office or other clinic.
“Notifying a health care provider of potential exposure before seeking treatment is very important,” they said in a prepared statement. “This allows advance arrangements to be made in clinical settings to prevent additional exposures of staff and other visitors, as some clinical sites were also settings of public exposures.”
The South Carolina Department of Public Health has released this fact sheet in an effort to raise awareness of a measles outbreak centered in Spartanburg County.
A DPH spokesperson said he did not know which school was the site of the recent infection. DPH will have an additional update early next week, he said.
The most recent schools identified by DPH as locations where the measles virus has spread are Lyman Elementary School and Boiling Springs Middle School.
Currently, 56 individuals from Lyman Elementary, 52 from Boiling Springs Middle, and one from DR Hill Middle School are under quarantine. If they avoid infection, students will be allowed back to school on Monday, December 1.
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: 7 new measles cases in Spartanburg outbreak, public exposure at Costco