The United States has recorded its highest number of cases of measles since the highly contagious disease was declared to be eliminated in the country 25 years ago, raising concerns among local doctors about whether South Florida could soon see a rise in cases.
To date, health officials have not confirmed any cases in Palm Beach County, but they have confirmed four across Florida this year, two of them in South Florida, according to the Florida Department of Health. Broward and Miami-Dade counties each have one confirmed case in 2025. The other two have been in Leon County, home to Tallahassee.
Cases within Palm Beach County have been extremely rare, with the Florida Department of Health reporting that the last known case locally was in June 2000. It was the only case reported that year, the health department said.
However, local doctors said measles outbreaks in other states this year could increase the chances for exposure in less-affected areas as more people begin to travel for the summer. According to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, there had been 1,288 confirmed measles cases in the U.S. as of July 8, marking the nation’s largest outbreak in more than 30 years.
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The majority of cases are linked to a large outbreak that originated in west Texas. The CDC said other cases arose from community transmission or during travel. Some of the spread may be tied to a movement within the U.S. that has questioned the safety of vaccines and whether those vaccines are even necessary.
“I am unaware of any cases in Palm Beach County up until now, which is good,” said Dr. Chad Sanborn, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at West Boca Medical Center and the Palm Beach Children’s Hospital at St. Mary’s Medical Center in West Palm Beach.
“Hopefully, it stays that way, but I think there’s a fair to good chance that that won’t stay that way,” he said. “We’re seeing outbreaks (in other states) … It’s summertime, so people are traveling all about the United States and internationally, and we know that the immunization rates in Palm Beach County aren’t as high as they used to be.
“So I do have a concern that we can and will see some cases here in Palm Beach.”
Vaccination is best way to protect self against measles, doctors say
Measles is an airborne, extremely infectious and potentially severe respiratory illness that is caused by a virus. The disease can remain airborne for up to two hours, meaning that someone could contract it without coming into direct contact with a carrier.
It is so contagious that 92% of unvaccinated people who are exposed end up contracting the disease. And one in five of those people end up in the hospital, according to the CDC.
Common symptoms include a high fever that may reach more than 104 degrees, a cough, a runny nose, and red, watery eyes. A rash generally appears three to five days after symptoms begin.
This year’s outbreak has resulted in 162 hospitalizations and three confirmed deaths across the nation. Children account for two of the deaths.
Health officials declared measles eliminated from the United States in 2000, meaning there were no measles cases spreading within the country and new cases were only found when someone contracted measles abroad and returned to the U.S.
Dr. Minu Mathew, an infectious diseases specialist at HCA Florida Palms West Medical Center, said vaccine hesitancy has become a growing concern in the medical community, particularly since the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, and may likely have contributed to the current outbreak.
“I think the main point is this is a vaccine-preventable disease,” she said. “If you get the two doses, the first one is at 12 to 15 months of age, and the second one at 4 to 6 years, you have a 97 percent protection. So it’s mostly about weighing the risk versus the benefit because you could be seriously ill if you get it.”
This year’s outbreak marks the highest total nationally since 1992, when more than 2,000 cases were reported, and surpasses a similar outbreak in 2019, when 1,274 cases were recorded, according to CDC statistics.
“It’s concerning for us in the infectious disease world, and the pediatrics world and the medical world in general,” Sanborn said.
He stressed the importance of vaccinations for children, noting that about a third of children under the age of 5 who contract the measles are likely to end up in the hospital. Nearly 1 to 3 of every 1,000 children who become infected with measles will die from respiratory and neurologic complications, according to CDC statistics.
“My big message to families would be is that I am a strong proponent of all childhood vaccinations,” Sanborn said. “I encourage families that have concerns about getting the MMR vaccine to speak to their pediatrician. To speak to the people that they trust to get good information, because it is a safe vaccine.”
Those with questions about measles vaccine should contact their doctor
The CDC considers people who have received two doses of the vaccine as children to be protected for life. It advises those unsure about their immunity status to first try to find their vaccination records or documentation of measles immunity, the agency said.
It recommends that those without written documentation of immunity get vaccinated with the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, or MMR, saying there is no harm in receiving another dose, even if a person may be immune.
Sanborn said that those with questions regarding their vaccination status should discuss the matter with their doctor.
Material from USA TODAY contributed to this story.
Julius Whigham II is a criminal justice and public safety reporter for The Palm Beach Post. You can reach him at jwhigham@pbpost.com and follow him on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, at @JuliusWhigham. Help support our work: Subscribe today.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Measles in Florida: Doctors urge vaccinations, saying South Florida’s two cases could grow
Reporting by Julius Whigham II, Palm Beach Post / Palm Beach Post
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
