Prisma Health in South Carolina said Feb. 4 it is requiring masks on many patients and visitors amid a growing measles outbreak in the state.
South Carolina’s largest private, nonprofit health care system said in a statement that starting Thursday, all adults in the emergency departments will need to wear masks and that parents will be asked to place masks on any children age 2 and older.
People entering areas related to birth, such as labor units, will also be required to wear a mask.
Prisma Health pointed to South Carolina’s measles outbreak and said the measures are designed to “reduce the risk of transmission and ensure a safe environment for patients, visitors and team members.”
Measles is a contagious disease that mainly spreads through droplets from infected people. It’s not clear what studies or other data Prisma Health, which did not return an inquiry, relied on when determining that masks can prevent measles.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention only recommends masks for health care workers who are taking care of suspected or confirmed measles patients.
Prisma’s announcement came after state officials reported 30 new measles cases in the state in recent days, taking the total related to an outbreak in northern South Carolina to 876 since mid-2025.
One of the cases was confirmed in a resident of Sumter County, but it is not clear yet whether that case is linked to the outbreak, the South Carolina Department of Health said.
People who visited Mariachis Mexican Restaurant in Sumter on the evening of Jan. 23, Food Lion on Broad Street in Sumter midday on Jan. 24, or Walmart in Sumter in the morning or early afternoon of Jan. 25 may have been exposed to measles, the department said, advising people that they should monitor for symptoms through mid-February.
Symptoms of measles include fever, rash, and red eyes.
The outbreak has previously occurred mainly in Spartanburg County, with some cases in Greenville, Anderson, and Cherokee Counties.
In addition to 22 measles patients in isolation due to being infectious, 354 are in quarantine because of exposure, state officials told a briefing on Feb. 4.
They recommended people receive a measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine, noting that a large percentage of the cases for which vaccination statuses are known were unvaccinated.
“We’re encouraged by a strong increase in MMR vaccination last month with monthly totals in January showing some of the highest that we’ve seen in years,” Dr. Linda Bell, South Carolina’s state epidemiologist, said. “Over 7,000 more doses of measles vaccine were given statewide in January of 2026 as compared to January of 2025. That’s a 72 percent increase.”
Federal officials have also promoted measles vaccination, two doses of which are recommended for children, while noting that the vaccine can cause side effects and emphasizing that it is up to each individual whether they receive a vaccine.
“Individuals should consult with their health care provider about what is best for them and their family,” a spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services told The Epoch Times in an email in January.