Post : The New Measles Outbreak in Florida
URL : [link removed]
Posted : February 21, 2024 at 4:37 pm
Author : Vincent Iannelli, MD
Tags : 2024 measles outbreaks, exemptions, Florida measles outbreak, index case, Joseph Ladapo, Manatee Bay Elementary School, measles exposure, measles outbreak, measles year, secondary cases
Categories : Immunization News

No one should be surprised that there is a new measles outbreak in Florida.

[link removed] The CDC recently issued a safety alert for measles cases to help decrease the risk of new measles outbreaks, like the one in Florida.

After all, measles cases and outbreaks are on the rise again.

Why Are Measles Cases On the Rise?

This rise follows a several years of relatively low numbers of cases, including a record low number of cases in 2020.

That year, during the COVID pandemic, we had just 13 cases of measles in the United States! Worldwide, the number of reported cases also dropped to record low levels during the pandemic - 159,073 in 2020 and 123,171 in 2021.

Unfortunately, they didn't stay that low...

Why not?

[link removed] There were 682,720 measles cases and 518 deaths in the United States in 1954, a big 'Measles Year' before we had a measles vaccine ( [link removed] ) .

Because the artificially created closed communities 'we' created by not traveling had kept measles levels low. And once folks started getting back to their usual routines of going to school, working, playing, and traveling, it allowed measles to spread once again. And because in some communities immunization rates are even lower than they were before the pandemic, we are at risk for a big measles year!

Fortunately, we will never reach the levels of measles we once saw in the pre-vaccine era ( [link removed] ) , but there is certainly a risk of hitting new vaccination era ( [link removed] ) highs.

Timeline of the New Measles Outbreak in Florida

How big will this new outbreak in Florida get?

Well, it has already grown from just one case reported on February 16th to six cases in just a few days!

The first case was a third grade student at Manatee Bay Elementary School in Weston, Florida who had no history of international travel. Although we do not know for sure, it seems likely that child did not start the outbreak ( [link removed] ) , after all, the incubation period ( [link removed] ) for measles is 7 to 21 days.

> "The Florida Department of Health in Broward County (DOH-Broward) isinvestigating multiple cases of measles that have occurred at an elementary school in Weston, Florida."
>
> DOH-BROWARD ISSUES MEASLES HEALTH ADVISORY

So there was not enough time for all of those other kids to have gotten measles from the 'first' case.

Which makes you think that these are all secondary cases and that the very first case exposed kids in the school a few weeks ago.

What else do we know?

* Manatee Bay Elementary School has a vaccinated rate of around 89% for entering kindergarten student's according to the state's latest Immunization Compliance Exemption Report

* at least 219 students and 6 staff members have stayed out of school since the outbreak began!

* State Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo ( [link removed] ) is alarmingly "deferring to parents or guardians to make decisions about school attendance," which may prolong the outbreak if unvaccinated kids or staff who were exposed do not get vaccinated or self-quarantine ( [link removed] ) . Of course, this puts staff and students with true medical exemptions ( [link removed] ) at risk to get measles!

* The percent of children with a religious exemption ( [link removed] ) for vaccination in Broward County is higher than statewide averages.

the school is holding multiple vaccination events to get kids caught up, but there is no word on how many are participating - parents should understand that even unvaccinated kids ( [link removed] ) can avoid getting measles ( [link removed] ) if they get vaccinated soon after they are exposed ( [link removed] )

* if the true index case was missed, that means that a child or staff member was at the school a few weeks ago, exposed all of these children, and they didn't alert health officials, who could have taken steps to avoid the outbreak

And tragically, we know that there will probably be more cases before this outbreak is over...

More on the New Measles Outbreak in Florida

* When is Measles Season? ( [link removed] )

* ( [link removed] ) What to Do If Your Child Is Exposed to Measles ( [link removed] )

* Why Are You Still Worried About the MMR Vaccine? ( [link removed] )

* Costs of a Measles Outbreak ( [link removed] )

* The Unvaccinated Child ( [link removed] )

* Answers To Frequently Asked Questions About Immunizations ( [link removed] )

CDC - Stay Alert for Measles Cases  ( [link removed] )

WHO - Global measles threat continues to grow as another year passes with millions of children unvaccinated ( [link removed] )

* Measles transmission during a large outbreak in California ( [link removed] )

* Broward County Immunization Coverage ( [link removed] )

* DOH-BROWARD ISSUES MEASLES HEALTH ADVISORY ( [link removed] )

* Measles erupts in Florida school where 11% of kids are unvaccinated ( [link removed] )

* Immunization Levels in Florida Kindergartens ( [link removed] )

* CBS News Miami looks at South Florida school vaccination rates, health concerns ( [link removed] )

* Another Year, Another Measles Outbreak ( [link removed] )

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