Public health officials in Placer County say their first confirmed measles cases of the year are possibly linked to the large outbreak happening in South Carolina.
On Monday, Placer County Public Health reported they had confirmed three measles cases. The cases are linked to one family, health officials say, with the patients all being teenagers.
Officials also suspect a fourth family member has measles, but that case has not been confirmed.
Notably, public health officials believe that the Placer County cases were the result of the patients being exposed to an extended family member who had traveled recently to South Carolina.
An outbreak of nearly 1,000 measles cases has been confirmed in South Carolina as of Feb. 27, according to the state’s public health department. Most of the cases are centered around Spartanburg County.
Placer County public health officials say they have been unable to confirm the vaccination status of their measles patients. All of the patients are recovering at home and there are no public exposure risks from the family, officials say.
“We believe the risk to the general public remains low, as this outbreak appears to be contained within an extended family,” said Placer County Health Officer Dr. Rob Oldham in a statement.
Before the new Placer County numbers, California had recorded a total of 21 measles cases as of Feb. 23. According to the Centers of Disease Control, there have been a total of 1,136 measles cases confirmed across the U.S. in 2026.Â
More from CBS News