ORLANDO, Fla. – A South Florida elementary school is dealing with measles among its students, according to our sister station WPLG.
The report quotes a Broward County School District spokesperson who says five measles cases have been detected at Manatee Bay Elementary School in Weston, as of Monday afternoon.
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The school district replaced air filters at the school, and used a special machine to clean every surface.
The Florida Department of Health in Broward County confirms there have been “multiple cases of measles,” but would not name the elementary school. Health officials were trying to identify people at the school who might be susceptible to contracting measles — people who are immunocompromised, or who did not get their full course of the measles-mumps-rubella immunization. Health officials are trying to track down the origin of the cases.
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The five cases represent the first time measles has been reported in the state of Florida since 2020, when one case was reported in Hillsborough County, according to Florida Department of Health data.
Measles is very contagious and can remain infectious in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours. The measles rash appears three to five days after the initial infection, according to the Florida Dept. of Health.
Complications from measles can include pneumonia, encephalitis, diarrhea and death.
For those who have a full vaccine course for MMR, the chance of getting measles is very low. The MMR vaccine is 98% effective, according to the state.
However, child immunization rates have fallen in Florida in the last two years. State data shows immunization levels in Kindergarten in 2022 had fallen to 91.7%, compared to 93.8% in 2019.
Two doses of the MMR vaccine are required for students to attend public schools in Florida, but parents can get exemptions for religious or medical reasons.
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