Florida has 10 reported cases of measles, as of Tuesday, according to the Florida Department of Health. The most recent case emerged in Broward County, totaling nine – all of which are children.
One adult in Polk County was also reported over the weekend. As a result, local experts are raising concerns and reminding parents that vaccination is the best way to protect their children from the highly contagious disease.
“The best way to do that, especially in regard to measles, is to get vaccinated,” said Dr. Jarod Fox, an infectious disease expert from Orlando Health.
But vaccination rates have fallen in Central Florida, which has left the area susceptible to an outbreak. Over 1,000 children are not vaccinated in the area, Fox said.
“That's what drives most of these outbreaks with measles specifically is the vaccination rate. Anytime you have a low vaccination rate for measles, it's going to have a potential for these outbreaks,” he said.
What is measles? What is the MMR vaccine?
The measles virus is contagious through the air and can linger in a location for two hours, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The virus is so contagious, it can infect 90% of people standing near a person with measles. Symptoms of the disease include fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes and a rash with tiny spots.
According to the World Health Organization, there is no treatment for measles.
The measles, mumps rubella (MMR) vaccine was released for public use in 1963 and is a two-shot process, according to the WHO.
The first shot is usually administered to children 12 to 15 months old. The second dose is given between ages 4 and 6.
Both shots are thought to give lifetime coverage for measles, according to the CDC. It also says the first shot of the vaccine has a 93% efficacy rate against the virus and a 97% rate after the second shot.
The CDC has a desired immunization rate of 95%, but Florida remains below that at 91% of the population covered, CDC data shows.
Orange County vaccination rates
The last time measles appeared in Orange County was in 2013 with four cases.
Orange County’s basic immunization rates for kindergarteners – which includes the two-shot vaccine against measles – have declined since 2015. The state Department of Health's most recent data show Orange’s immunization rate was 88.2% in 2022. The year before it was 89.6%.
Talking to parents about getting their children vaccinated has become harder since the COVID-19 pandemic, Fox said.
“There's been a lot more of that misinformation even though the MMR vaccine has been around since 1963 and it's been well-studied. There are still concerns around vaccines in general, and that is what has driven the vaccination decrease across the country,” he said.
Fox said he tries to level with parents, knowing that they’re fearful that something might happen if their child gets the shot.
“But those fears are unfounded, and the risk of getting the disease when you’re unvaccinated is much higher than any potential risk associated with the vaccine,” he said.
If an unvaccinated person knows they were exposed, they can still get vaccinated 72 hours after exposure.
“Vaccination either before or immediately after the exposure is important in preventing further infections,” Fox said.
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