Number of measles cases in Florida rises again. Here's what you should know

A 12th case of measles has been reported in Florida, according to the Florida Department of Health.

The newest case was confirmed in Orange County in April, and is the first reported since one case in Martin County in March.

The national total has risen to 121 as of April 11 across 18 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

The majority of the cases in Florida occurred in Broward County, where nine cases were reported, starting with a third-grader at  Manatee Bay Elementary School in February.

Here's the latest information about measles in Florida and the U.S.

Florida cases of measles increase to 12

Since Jan. 1, there have been 12 confirmed cases of measles in Florida, most of which were reported in February. Here's the breakdown:

• County:

  • Broward: 9

  • Martin: 1

  • Orange: 1

  • Polk: 1

• Where acquired:

  • In Florida: 9

  • Outside U.S.: 2

  • Unknown (could be Florida or another state): 1

• Ages:

  • 0-4: 3

  • 5-9: 4

  • 10-14: 3

  • 20-24: 1

  • 55-59: 1

• Diagnosis status: All 12 cases have been confirmed

• When reported:

  • February: 10; 9 in Broward County and 1 in Polk County

  • March: 1, in Martin County

  • April (to date): 1, in Orange County

Details on latest measles case, reported in Orange County

• Number of cases: 1

• Where acquired: Outside of the U.S.

• Age: 0-4

• Diagnosis status: Confirmed

• When reported: April 2024

Details on measles cases in Broward County

• Number of cases: 9

• Where acquired: in Florida

• Ages:

  • 0-4: 2

  • 5-9: 4

  • 10-14: 3

• Diagnosis status: Confirmed

• When reported: February 2024

Measles in Broward County: Measles reported in Broward County school.

Details on measles case in Martin County

• Number of cases: 1

• Where acquired: Outside of the U.S.

• Age: 55-59

• Diagnosis status: Confirmed

• When reported: March 2024

Details on measles case in Polk County

• Number of cases: 1

• Where acquired: Unknown (could be Florida or another state)

• Age: 20-24

• Diagnosis status: Confirmed

• When reported: February 2024

Measles in Polk County:Measles case confirmed in Polk County: What you need to know about Florida's outbreak

Breakdown of measles cases, outbreaks in the US

The CDC reported there have been 121 cases of measles in the U.S. in 18 states as of April 11. Cases have been reported in:

• Arizona

• California

• Florida

• Georgia

• Illinois

• Indiana

• Louisiana

• Maryland

• Michigan

• Minnesota

• Missouri,

• New Jersey

• New York City

• New York State

• Ohio

• Pennsylvania

• Virginia

• Washington

There have been seven outbreaks — defined as three or more related cases — reported in 2024, with 71% of cases or 86 of the 121, outbreak-associated, the CDC said.

Breakdown: Measles cases in 2024 in the US

• Total cases: 121

• Age:

  • Under 5 years: 57

  • 5-19 years: 27

  • 20+ years: 37

• Vaccination status:

  • Unvaccinated or unknown: 82%

  • One MMR dose: 13%

  • Two MMR doses: 5%

• Hospitalizations: 68 out of 121 hospitalized

• Ages hospitalized:

  • Under 5: 37 out of 57

  • 5-19 years: 10 out of 27

  • 20+ years: 21 out of 37

Wasn't measles eliminated in US?

Measles was officially eliminated from the United States in 2000, according to the CDC.

No measles were spreading in the U.S. and new cases were the result of people contracting the disease outside the U.S. and then returning.

MMR vaccinations have been dropping in Florida, US

"When more than 95% of people in a community are vaccinated, most people are protected through community immunity (herd immunity)," the CDC said.

"However, vaccination coverage among U.S. kindergartners has decreased from 95.2% during the 2019–2020 school year to 93.1% in the 2022–2023 school year, leaving approximately 250,000 kindergartners at risk each year over the last three years."

In Florida, during the 2022-2023 school year, the vaccination rate was 90.6%, the CDC reported.

What is measles?

Measles is a highly contagious virus that can be serious, especially for children under the age of 5, according to the CDC.

• About 1 in 5 people in the U.S. who get measles will be hospitalized.

• 1 out of every 1,000 people with measles will develop brain swelling, which could lead to brain damage.

• 1 to 3 out of 1,000 people with measles will die.

How infectious is measles?

Measles spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes.

It is so contagious that if one person has it, up to nine out of 10 people around that person will become infected if they are not protected.

A person can get measles just by being in a room where a person with measles has been, even up to two hours after that person has left.

An infected person can spread measles to others even before knowing he/she has the disease — from four days before developing the measles rash through four days afterward, according to the CDC.

What are the symptoms of measles?

Seven to 14 days after being infected, the first symptoms appear, including:

• high fever (may spike to more than 104°)

• cough

• runny nose

• red, watery eyes

Three to five days after symptoms begin, a rash breaks out. It usually begins as flat red spots that appear on the face at the hairline and spread downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs, and feet.

• Small raised bumps may also appear on top of the flat red spots.

• The spots may become joined together as they spread from the head to the rest of the body.

• When the rash appears, a person’s fever may spike to more than 104°.

How can you protect yourself from measles?

The CDC said the best protection against measles is the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine. MMR vaccine provides long-lasting protection against all strains of measles.

Children need two doses of MMR vaccine for best protection:

• The first dose at 12 through 15 months of age.

• The second dose at 4 through 6 years of age.

This article originally appeared on Treasure Coast Newspapers: Florida measles cases up to 12 in 4 counties. Latest case in Orange