The US will lose its measles elimination status in three weeks if cases continue to surge amid ongoing outbreaks in South Carolina, Utah, Arizona, Texas and other states

The United States is on the verge of losing its measles elimination status as cases surge amid an ongoing outbreak in South Carolina, where hundreds are in quarantine.

Outbreaks of the highly contagious airborne virus have also recently occurred in Texas, Utah, and Arizona. South Carolina has recorded 20 new cases since Friday, the state's health board reported.

North Carolina's total for the year is now at 179, higher than the number of measles cases recorded for the entire US in six of the last 10 years. Across the US, more than 2,000 measles cases have been recorded this year, marking the highest number of cases in a year since the disease was first considered eliminated in the US 25 years ago.

Measles is only considered eliminated in a country if it no longer spreads constantly for a year. This means that if the current outbreaks last for three more weeks, which is highly likely, it may no longer be considered eradicated in the US.

Last month, Canada lost its measles elimination status more than a year after the virus started spreading across North and South America.

Canada has logged 5,138 measles cases this year and two deaths. Both were babies who were exposed to the measles virus in the womb and born prematurely.

Measles typically begins with a high fever followed by a telltale rash that starts on the face and neck. Most people recover, but it’s one of the leading causes of death among young children, according to the World Health Organization.

Serious complications, including blindness and swelling of the brain, are more common in young children and adults over age 30.

It is prevented by a vaccine administered routinely and safely to children around the world. However, a total of 93% of measles cases this year were among unvaccinated people or those with an unknown vaccination status, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said.

Most children in the US are required to get the shot to attend school. But vaccination rates have declined as more parents waive the shots or have fallen behind on recommended vaccination schedules.

“It’s a deeply disheartening development. It’s a deeply worrisome development. And, frankly, it’s an embarrassing development,” said Jennifer Nuzzo, a Brown University infectious disease expert said after Canada lost its measles elimination status last month. “No country with the amount of resources of Canada — or other countries in North America even — should lose their measles elimination status.”

South Carolina’s state epidemiologist Dr. Linda Bell, said at a press briefing on Tuesday that measles continues to be transmitted in households, schools and churches across the state. She noted that 287 people are being quarantined to help prevent the spread.

“We do anticipate more cases well into January,” she said. “We do believe that the holidays contributed to this,” Bell added.

In Arizona and Utah, an outbreak has ballooned since August. The border cities of Colorado City, Arizona, and Hildale, Utah, are the heaviest hit.

A large outbreak in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma that started in January sickened nearly 900 and kicked off the United States’ worst measles year in more than three decades.