Dec 16 (Reuters) - The South Carolina health department reported 135 cases of measles in the state on Tuesday related to an outbreak ⁠in the northwest part of the ⁠state, nine additional cases since its last update ‍on Friday.

The widening outbreak has been reported in Upstate South Carolina, which includes Greenville and Spartanburg, according to the South Carolina Department of Public Health (DPH).

The DPH said 168 people exposed to the highly contagious virus have been placed in quarantine and one person is in isolation to curb the ;spread of the disease.

Five ‍of the new cases were from known exposures ‍at the Way of Truth Church in Inman, three were from known household exposures and one was from a neighborhood contact.

Of those ⁠infected, 127 were unvaccinated, three were partially ‍vaccinated with ​one of the recommended two-dose measles-mumps-rubella vaccines, one person was fully vaccinated and three had unknown vaccination status. One case ;is still under investigation, ⁠it said.

Most ‍cases were reported in children in the five to ‍17 age group followed by those below ;five years ‍of age.

(Reporting ​by Mariam Sunny in Bengaluru; Editing by Krishna Chandra Eluri)