Florida's 9th case of measles confirmed in Polk County: Health officials

TAMPA, Fla. - The measles outbreak has made its way to Central Florida. Over the weekend, the Florida Department of Health confirmed a ninth case out of Polk County. 

The case is travel-related, and the patient is between 20 and 24 years old, making them the first Florida adult to be infected with the virus this year. 

It comes after eight children and teens were infected with measles in Broward County. Health officials said it's cause for concern, because the number of cases reported in the first two months of 2024 already accounts for more than half of the total number of cases reported last year.

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"Following the pandemic, we actually had some drops in childhood vaccinations, and so what you get is a kind of perfect storm," said Jill Roberts, a University of South Florida College of Public Health associate professor. "You have people who are not vaccinated increasing worldwide, and then you also have a virus that can spread incredibly easily."

As Roberts explained, measles is extremely contagious. Unvaccinated people have about a 90% chance of being infected if exposed. During the last measles outbreak in the U.S. in 2019, 10% of cases led to hospitalizations.

"Don't mess around with measles," Roberts said. "It can be very serious in cases where it does progress to serious disease, it can lead to deafness, disability, death. I always recommend people to talk to that trusted health care provider and get some good information."

During an outbreak, health officials usually recommend a 21-day quarantine for unvaccinated schoolchildren. But in a news release, the Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo veered away from that recommendation, leaving it up to parents to decide whether to keep their kids home, which was met with backlash from some Florida doctors.

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Meanwhile, Roberts said parents of unvaccinated children should be extra vigilant.

"Recognize the symptoms of that rash. If you've got a kid with a rash and a fever, you're going to want to go ahead and have that evaluated as soon as possible," Roberts said.

When it comes to measles vaccination rates, Florida is below the CDC's recommendation of 95%. Currently, about 91% of Florida kindergartners have the measles vaccine. 

Roberts suggested parents with vaccine questions should reach out to their doctor.

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