Florida Reports Seventh Measles Case, Largest Outbreak in US
Florida has become the center of a measles outbreak, with a seventh case of the virus confirmed on Saturday. The case is a child under five, the youngest to be infected in the outbreak so far. It is also the first case identified outside of Manatee Bay Elementary School in Weston, near Fort Lauderdale where the infection is known to have spread.
The decision by Florida’s Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo to allow parents to decide whether to quarantine their children or let them keep going to school has come under increased scrutiny. Florida currently has the largest outbreak in the US, and there have been 35 cases across fifteen states in 2024 alone.
The infectious nature of measles is a cause for concern. Dr. David Kimberlin, co-director of the division of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, stated that “measles is the most infectious pathogen in humans that we know of.” He compared it to a “heat-seeking missile” that will find people who are not immune and make them sick.
The outbreak is not limited to Florida. On Friday, Michigan registered its first measles case since 2019, and Pennsylvania registered nine measles cases in January, eight of them in Philadelphia. However, if no further cases are reported in Pennsylvania as of early next week, the outbreak will be declared over.
The declining vaccination rates are a significant concern. The MMR vaccine coverage across America has fallen below the safe target for the third year in a row. The CDC reported that coverage dropped by two percent between the 2019-2021 school year and the 2022-2023 school year. This means that roughly a quarter of a million kindergartens are at risk of measles infection across the US.
At Manatee Bay Elementary School, 33 out of 1,067 students have not received any of the two doses of the MMR vaccine. This highlights the importance of vaccination in preventing the spread of measles.
The absence of travel history in the measles cases suggests that local transmission is occurring, posing a serious risk to the community. Measles is highly contagious, and with its long incubation period of 11 to 12 days, there’s a high likelihood that more children are infected without showing symptoms yet. Immediate public health intervention is necessary to prevent further spread.
Measles is a highly contagious, airborne virus that mostly affects children under five years old. It can be prevented by two doses of the MMR vaccine, and more than 57 million deaths have been averted since 2000, according to the WHO and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The recommended two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97 percent effective against measles, with one dose being 93 percent effective.
The decline in measles vaccination rates is concerning, especially as millions may have missed vaccinations during the COVID-19 pandemic when health systems were overwhelmed. It is crucial for unvaccinated children who are exposed to measles to receive an MMR shot as soon as possible. If given within 72 hours of initial exposure, the shot may offer some protection against measles or reduce the severity of the illness.
The current measles outbreak in Florida and across the US serves as a reminder of the importance of vaccination in preventing the spread of infectious diseases. It is crucial for parents to ensure their children receive the recommended vaccines to protect themselves and their communities. Public health interventions and increased awareness are necessary to control and prevent further outbreaks.
