Broward has confirmed 9th case of measles
FORT LAUDERDALE - After another case of measles was confirmed at a Broward elementary school, Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman-Schultz called for the resignation of Florida's surgeon general citing a lack of leadership amid this outbreak.
This brings the county's confirmed measles cases to nine.
Of those, seven are at the same school - Manatee Bay Elementary School in Weston.
As for the other two cases, the county is trying to determine if there is a connection to the school. Perhaps a Manatee Bay student played with another child or a family member.
Last week, Manatee Bay Elementary gave parents the option to keep their kids home for three weeks while the school offers online, continuing education without teachers. Thirty-four students are learning remotely.
Thirty-three students at the school are unvaccinated, according to the school district on Monday.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, and Prevention, the measles vaccine is 97 effective at preventing infection with two doses.
As for this latest case at Manatee Bay, the school district said that the student has not been on campus for the last week and a half
"The individual impacted by this latest case has not physically been on campus since February 15th, therefore the infectious period of 21 days remains unchanged, March 7th," said Superintendent Dr. Peter Licata.
The CDC advises that unvaccinated students stay home from school for three weeks after exposure. Because the highly contagious measles virus spreads on tiny droplets through the air and on surfaces, students are considered exposed simply by sitting in the same cafeteria or classroom as someone infected, as KFF Health News noted in a recent article. The measles virus can live for up to two hours in the air after an infected person leaves an area.
A person with measles can pass along an infection before they develop a fever, cough, rash, or other signs of the illness.
"People are infectious up to four days before they get the rash and four days after they have the rash," said Dr. Mary Jo Trepka, an epidemiologist at Florida International University.
A person with measles can pass along an infection before they develop a fever, cough, rash, or other signs of the illness.
About 1 in 5 people with measles end up hospitalized, 1 in 10 develop ear infections that can lead to permanent hearing loss, and about 1 in 1,000 die from respiratory and neurological complications, according to data cited by KFF Health News.
Last week, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo sent parents a controversial letter permitting them to send unvaccinated children to school amid the outbreak.
The Department of Health "is deferring to parents or guardians to make decisions about school attendance," wrote Ladapo, who was appointed to head the agency by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis, whose name is listed above Ladapo's in the letterhead.
Ladapo's letter contradicts advice from the CDC and doctors.
"I don't know why the health department wouldn't follow the CDC recommendations," said Thresia Gambon, president of the Florida chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics and a pediatrician who practices in Miami and Broward, the county affected by the current measles outbreak, in an interview with KFF Health News. "Measles is so contagious. It is very worrisome."
US Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz has called for Ladapo to be replaced as state surgeon general "in light of his latest act of dangerous negligence to yet another outbreak and a series of inadequate and potentially hazardous responses to past public health concerns," according to her office.
Since January, at least 36 cases of the highly infectious disease have been reported across 16 states.
KFF Health News contributed to this report. KFF Health News is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF - the independent source for health policy research, polling, and journalism.
