According to the Florida Department of Health, the number of confirmed measles cases in the Sunshine State has risen to 10, and the infections have been detected in two counties.
Nine of the cases have been reported in Broward County. However, for the first time since the outbreak began, a new case has been reported outside of Broward County, about 200 miles away in Polk County.
The most recent case was reported on Feb. 25 by someone in the age group of 20 to 24 years old, according to state health data.
The Department of Health in Broward County issued an advisory on Feb. 18 informing the public that it was “investigating multiple cases of measles” at an elementary school in Weston, Florida.
In a public notice to health care providers on Feb. 23, state health officials confirmed a “travel-related case in Central Florida.” However, the department did not disclose when the individual acquired the disease or whether the person had traveled domestically or outside of the United States.
In response to an email inquiry by The Epoch Times, Florida Department of Health deputy press secretary Grant Kemp confirmed that the school in Weston where the initial outbreak occurred was Manatee Bay Elementary.
Mr. Kemp also told The Epoch Times that Florida’s surgeon general “has deferred the decision to keep children home from school to parents/guardians.”
On Feb. 20, Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph A. Ladapo sent a letter to Manatee Bay Elementary parents and guardians stating that when measles is detected in a school, “it is normally recommended that individuals without history of prior infection or vaccination stay home for up to 21 days. This is the period of time that the virus can be transmitted.”
Dr. Ladapo further advised parents that “due to the high immunity rate in the community, as well as the burden on families and educational cost of healthy children missing school,” his office is “deferring to parents or guardians to make decisions about school attendance.”
“This recommendation may change as epidemiological investigations continue,” he added.
Individuals who have previously been infected or who are vaccinated against the disease are 98 percent protected and unlikely to contract the illness, Dr. Ladapo wrote.
“Up to 90 percent of individuals without immunity will contract measles if exposed. Because of the high likelihood of infection, it is normally recommended that children stay home until the end of the infectious period, which is currently March 7, 2024.”
“As the epidemiological investigation continues,” he added, “this date could change.”
CDC Recommendation
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s letter template for “School Exposure Letter to Parents,” which is offered to local and state health departments, recommends that the quarantine time is “usually about 8-12 days” but can run “up to 21 days after exposure.”
While the disease is “very contagious,” the CDC says, “most school-aged children who are fully vaccinated with two doses of measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) vaccine are protected from measles.”
However, it also warned that “3 in 100 people who have received two doses of MMR vaccine will still get measles if exposed to the virus.”
The CDC suggests that children receive “two doses of MMR vaccine, starting with the first dose at 12 to 15 months of age, and the second dose at 4 through 6 years of age.”
College students “who do not have presumptive evidence of immunity need two doses of MMR vaccine, separated by at least 28 days.”
Adults without presumptive evidence of immunity are advised to “get at least one dose of MMR vaccine.”
Manatee Bay Elementary administrators said 200 students were absent on Feb. 20 and 174 were absent on Feb. 21, CBS News reported.
On Jan. 25, the CDC warned health care providers to be alert for measles cases as 23 cases had been confirmed in the United States, primarily “among children and adolescents who had not received a measles-containing vaccine (MMR or MMRV), even if age eligible.”
“Measles cases often originate from unvaccinated or under-vaccinated U.S. residents who travel internationally and then transmit the disease to people who are not vaccinated against measles,” the CDC stated further. “The increased number of measles importations seen in recent weeks is reflective of a rise in global measles cases and a growing global threat from the disease.”
In 2022, there were 121 cases of measles reported in six U.S. jurisdictions, according to the CDC. In 2023, there were 58 cases reported in 20 jurisdictions.
As of Feb. 22, 2024, the CDC reported that a total of 35 cases of measles have been confirmed in 15 jurisdictions: Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York City, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington.