Measles confirmed in Miami teenager, the first in Florida this year
A teenager in Miami-Dade has a confirmed cases of measles, the first such infection in Florida since a small outbreak of the disease in South Florida in 2024.
The infection was reported on a Florida Department of Health database for Florida's infectious and reportable diseases.
A Miami-Dade County Public Schools spokesperson confirmed that a student at Miami Palmetto Senior High School was infected. The school district has notified parents of other students at the school.
Florida Department of Health officials did not return repeated calls and emails seeking comment. Health officials are working to trace anyone the student may have come into contact with, the schools official said.
The case comes as health officials in West Texas and eastern New Mexico are already trying to contain an outbreak of the highly infectious disease with almost 150 confirmed cases and the death of a school-aged child.
Once a common childhood disease, measles was declared eliminated in the United States in 2000, an accomplishment achieved through a childhood vaccination program that is regarded as a public health success story.
Infection typically results in acute illness and a rash of small red slightly raised spots. It can lead to high fever and complications including bronchitis and pneumonia.
Outbreaks have become more common in recent years across communities where there are pockets of children or adults who are not immunized, said George Rust, co-director of Florida State University's Center for Medicine and Public Health.
He stressed that the disease is not a routine childhood illness.
'Measles is far from a routine illness - kids get really sick,' Rust said. 'They get high fevers. They cough. They feel awful for days. Many are hospitalized, and a few of them may die.'
Measles is highly contagious because of its airborne spread. An infected child in a classroom of unvaccinated children would result in an infection rate of 90%, Rust said.
'It hangs in the air even an hour or more after that kid has left the room,' he said.
The Texas outbreak has prompted increased debate about an uptick in vaccine skepticism in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In Florida, the percentage of Florida kindergartners who are vaccinated against childhood diseases fell from 94% in 2017 to 90% in 2023, according to state data.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy Jr. said in a recent Fox News opinion column that vaccines not only protect individuals but the community too. But he said the decision to vaccinate is a 'personal one.'
School districts have reported a rise in the number of parents filing religious exemptions against school-required vaccines. Statewide, more than 5% of children are now exempted from required vaccinations, state data shows.
In Pinellas County, 7% of students have vaccine exemptions.
The more children that are exempted, the higher the risk of further outbreaks, Rust said. Once vaccine levels drop below 95%, it is far tougher to prevent the spread of the disease.
'The idea that immunizations are just an individual risk-benefit decision is wrong,' he said. 'I'm getting a vaccine to protect myself but also to protect my neighbors ; I'm protecting pregnant women and infants who are too small to get the vaccine.'
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