Health officials in Florida announced on Sunday a Investigating a cluster of measles cases at a Fort Lauderdale-area elementary school, where the low vaccination rate is a cause for concern. This scenario comes against a backdrop of declining vaccination rates across the country, which worries experts.
Broward County Public Schools reported this on Friday regarding a confirmed case of measles in a student at Manatee Bay Elementary School in the town of Weston. According to local CBS reports, the suspect was a third-grader who had not traveled recently. On Saturday, the school system announced three additional cases at the same school, bringing the total to four cases.
The Florida Department of Health in Broward County (DOH-Broward) issued a health alert about the cases on Sunday and announced that it would conduct an investigation to trace contacts at risk of infection.
At Manatee Bay Elementary School, where the number of children at risk could exceed 100 students, In the 2023/2024 school year, only 89.31% of students were fully vaccinated, according to a Broward County vaccine study cited by CBS. This is well below the target vaccination rate of 95%. The school, which has 1,067 students enrolled, says up to 114 students could be at risk depending on their vaccination status.
Measles is highly contagious and can be transmitted through the air up to two hours after an infected person has been in an area. Unvaccinated people or those with weakened immune systems are susceptible, and up to 90% of susceptible people exposed to the virus can become infected. Symptoms begin eight to 14 days after exposure and may include fever, runny nose, red eyes, cough, and a significant rash.
People who are fully vaccinated against measles are generally not considered to be at risk. The effectiveness of the two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine is about 97%, and the protection is considered lifelong.
DOH-Broward said it is identifying susceptible contacts who could receive post-exposure prophylaxis with MMR or immunoglobulin. Although the risk of contracting measles is generally low in the United States, as measles was declared eradicated in 2000, As vaccination rates fall, the risk of large outbreaks increases.
Vaccination rates have fallen to 93% among kindergarten teachers in the United States, and immunization exemptions reached an all-time high in the 2022-2023 school year. In more than 10 states, the vaccination exemption rate is above 5%. This could impact overall coverage.
So far in 2024, the CDC has recorded 20 cases of measles in the United States, excluding cases in Florida reported after February 15. In 2023, 58 cases of measles were reported in the country. The low vaccination rate and recent cases highlight the importance of maintaining vaccination to prevent the spread of preventable diseases
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