Two new measles cases confirmed, NCDHHS rolls out dashboard to track outbreak

NORTH CAROLINA (WTVD) -- The North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (NCDHH) announced two new measles cases in the state, bringing the statewide total to seven since late December.

In an announcement Thursday morning, the agency said the cases are in unvaccinated siblings in Buncombe County and connected to an ongoing outbreak in Spartanburg, South Carolina.

"I think the last year has really highlighted the risk across the United States of measles (and) the risk of measles exposure. We have been concerned about that and are urging folks to ensure that they're up to date on their measles vaccine. We know that we have the seven cases in North Carolina. Six of those are directly related to the South Carolina outbreak. Another one doesn't have a clear link," explained. Dr. Kelly Kimple, Director of the Division of Public Health at NCDHHS.

CDC data shows an estimated 92.5% of kindergarteners received the MMR vaccine in the latest school year,
down from 95.2% in 2019-2020.

"Measles is incredibly contagious and the vaccine is incredibly effective at (prevention). It's 97% effective once you're fully vaccinated," Kimple explained.

Thursday, NCDHHS launched a new Measles Case and Outbreaks Dashboard, which will be updated twice a week with new case and exposure information.

Separately, ABC News has released a measles outbreak map where you can type in your ZIP code and see an estimated percentage of neighbors who have been vaccinated against measles, which can determine the risk of disease in the respective area.

The data was provided through a collaboration of researchers from Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard School of Medicine, and Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai with researchers publishing their findings on Thursday in the journal Nature Health.

In 2025, the US recorded more than 2,000 measles infections across 44 states, the highest figure since 1992. According to the CDC, 93% of those cases were among individuals who were unvaccinated or had unknown status.

"Overall, a county may have a higher vaccination rate, but there may be a particular school for example, that has an even lower vaccination rate. And those pockets of under vaccination is what put us at risk for further spread in the community," said Kimple.

SEE ALSO | New map shows how to spot the measles risk level in your ZIP code