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Seven people have been diagnosed with measles in an outbreak that started at the Manatee Bay Elementary School in Weston, Florida.

The Florida Department of Health in Broward County announced in a notice to local health care providers on Feb. 16 that a third grader with no history of travel had been diagnosed. Three other measles cases at the elementary school were confirmed on Saturday, followed by one each on Monday and Tuesday.

The latest case to appear in the state's surveillance system is a child 4 years old or younger — the first case outside the school. Of the other six cases, three were in children ages 5 to 9, and three in those 10 to 14.

The county health department issued an advisory Sunday saying that it was “working with all partners, including Broward County Public Schools and local hospitals, to identify contacts that are at risk of transmission.”

The Florida Department of Health has not recommended that all the school's students — or even just unvaccinated ones — stay home, as is generally done in such outbreaks. Instead, it is "deferring to parents or guardians to make decisions about school attendance," according to a letter Tuesday from Joseph Ladapo, the state's surgeon general.

It’s not publicly known whether those infected were vaccinated, NBC 6 South Florida reported. Two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine are 97% effective.

John J. Sullivan, communications and legislative affairs officer for the Broward County Public School District, said in a statement on Friday that "the school will continue with all the preventative measures that have been implemented, such as enhanced cleanings at the school, and remains in communication with its families."

Manatee Bay Elementary School referred NBC News to the school district for information about the outbreak.

The health department in Broward County said in a statement that it was "carrying out an epidemiological investigation" of the measles outbreak and working to identify close contacts of those diagnosed, but that "all details regarding the investigation are confidential."

In the 2022-23 school year, Florida’s statewide MMR vaccination rate was around 91%, compared to the national rate of 93%, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The U.S. rate has declined from 95% since the 2020-21 school year. The World Health Organization considers 95% the threshold necessary for herd immunity from measles.

Measles is highly contagious. Symptoms typically begin to appear a week or two after infection, and can include a cough, runny nose, fever and red, watery eyes. Small, white spots may appear inside the mouth a couple days later, followed by a rash consisting of flat, red spots that start on the face and spread to the neck, torso and limbs.

One in 5 unvaccinated people in the U.S. who get measles are hospitalized with severe complications. As many as 1 in 20 children with measles develop pneumonia, the leading cause of death for those in the age group who get the disease. People who are unvaccinated or immunocompromised also face a risk of swelling in the brain or death.

As of Thursday, 35 measles cases had been reported across 15 states already this year, including an outbreak of at least eight cases in Philadelphia last month, according to the CDC. Last month, the agency issued a warning to health providers to be on the lookout for more cases. Last year, 58 cases were reported in total.

Dr. Charles Mitchell, a professor of pediatric infectious disease at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, said the recent measles outbreaks may be the result of growing vaccine hesitancy.

“My suspicion is that there is unfortunately some questioning of utility or the acceptance of vaccines,” Mitchell said Tuesday afternoon. “I think going forward, I would not be surprised if we begin to see the recurrence of these cases. I mean, the fact that you have five cases of measles at this one elementary school suggests to me that the rate of vaccination may have fallen off.”

Mitchell emphasized that the MMR vaccine is especially crucial because there aren’t any treatments or cures for measles.

“I suspect that some people have lost their fear,” Mitchell added. “I don’t think they remember what it was like back in the ’60s or ’70s.”

Katie Mogg

Katie Mogg is an intern at NBC News.

WESTON, Fla. – Officials with Broward County Public Schools announced a fifth confirmed measles case at an elementary school in Weston Monday.

The additional case at Manatee Bay Elementary School, located at 19200 Manatee Isles Drive, adds to the four reported since Friday.

The Florida Department of Health is working to track down the origin of the case cluster.

“The District is maintaining close coordination with the Health Department to address this ongoing situation,” John J. Sullivan, a BCPS spokesperson, said in a statement Monday. “Over the weekend, the District took further preventive measures by conducting a deep cleaning of the school premises and replacing its air filters.”

Sullivan said the school’s principal is “actively communicating with families, ensuring they are kept up to date with the latest information.”

Experts are encouraging parents to keep an eye out for signs of the highly-infectious illness.

While two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine are required to attend Florida public schools, parents can seek religious or medical exemptions. The South Florida cases come amid a worldwide surge in cases as vaccination rates decline.

For Dr. Chad Sanborn, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at South Florida-based KIDZ Medical Services, it’s a frustrating development.

“There is the possibility that this can spread to the point that it’s no longer eradicated in the United States,” Sanborn said. “Even mild cases of measles, the kids are often pretty sick. So more than a common cold, more than even chicken pox in many cases.”

Sanborn said parents — especially if their children are unvaccinated — should keep an eye out for the initial symptoms: congestion, red eyes and a cough. A measles rash appears three to five days after the initial infection, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Most children will pass the virus without any treatment, but a small portion will develop complications like pneumonia.

“Three people out of every thousand people who acquire the virus will not survive from that,” Sanborn said.

Other complications, according to the CDC, include encephalitis, or swelling of the brain. The public health agency says about 1 child in every 1,000 who contract the measles will get encephalitis, which “can lead to convulsions and can leave the child deaf or with intellectual disability.”

Sanborn also explained that in a small percentage of cases, a case of the measles can lead to neurological complications five to 10 years after the initial infection.

The MMR vaccine is highly effective and most children who received it will remain immune and can go about their normal routines.

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WESTON, FLA. (WSVN) - - The Florida Department of Health on Tuesday reported another case of measles in Broward County, bringing the total number of cases to nine. Broward County Public Schools Superintendent Peter Licata also confirmed that the number of cases at Manatee Bay Elementary in Weston rose to seven.

“The total number of reported cases at Manatee Bay Elementary, as of this morning, is now seven,” Licata said. “The individual impacted by this latest case has not physically been on campus since February 15th. As of now, all confirmed cases for Broward County Public Schools are specific to Manatee Bay Elementary with no other district schools impacted,” Licata said. “We continue to work closely with the Florida Department of Health in Broward and appreciate their guidance.”

U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz addressed the increase in cases and called on Florida Governor Ron Desantis to fire Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo.

“I want to make clear today that our state leaders our failing us on this front,” Wasserman Schultz said. “Measles is a public health threat to Florida and so is Joe Ladapo.”

Over the weekend, FDOH reported two additional cases of measles in Broward County.

Originally, six cases of measles were identified at Manatee Bay Elementary School, but BCPS officials on Monday confirmed that those two latest cases reported over the weekend did not come from the elementary school.

It remains unknown where those two cases of measles came from.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that unvaccinated children quarantine for up to 21 days if they have been exposed to the measles virus. However, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo, has granted parents the authority to determine how long their children can quarantine.

Critics are calling for Ladapo’s firing after providing his guidance in regards to the outbreak.

Wasserman Schultz said Ladapo should’ve followed CDC guidelines and declared a health emergency.

“That did not declare an emergency, did not discuss, recommend or require vaccinations and did not require quarantining potentially exposed children,” Wasserman Schultz said. “Instead, Ladapo places the key decisions fully on parents. Imagine that burden. Wrongly claiming that we have sufficient immunity in place. Surgeon General Ladapo needs to go.”

“It seems that the State Surgeon General, Dr. Joseph Ladapo, has backed away from them and taken a casual attitude about those critical public health measures,” said Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia Dr. Paul Offit.

Health officials say people who have been vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella are 98% protected. Health experts explain that transmission can happen about four days before a rash appears and four days after.

“The virus can remain airborne for up to two hours after the person leaves the room. That’s one of the reasons why it is so very contagious. Another problem is that people are contagious or infectious before they get the rash, up to four days ahead of time, so they can unwittingly infect other people before they even have measles,” said Dr. Mary Jo Trepkainfectious disease epidemiologist

“The problem with measles is that we’ve, not only largely eliminated the disease, it’s we’ve eliminated the memory of the disease, and now, somehow, than we feel we can treat it causally. That’s a mistake,” said Offit. “Measles is not a disease you want to catch, it’s not just one of those trivial childhood infections that everyone gets through. Secondly, measles is often a pneumonia. When you get chest X-rays on children with measles, a large percentage have abnormal chest X-rays. Don’t fool around with this disease. Make sure you’re vaccinated.”

According to the school district, about 30% of students at Manatee Bay Elementary are unvaccinated. On Tuesday, 82 students remained absent from school. The school district is urging all unvaccinated students to get the measles vaccine.

Manatee Bay’s 21-day exposure window closes on March 7th. School officials hope there are no more cases in the days to come.

7News reached out to the FDOH for a response but has yet to hear back.

In Florida, there are a total of 10 measles cases reported. One case of the disease was reported in Polk County.

Copyright 2024 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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WESTON - The Florida Department of Law Enforcement is leading the investigation into a shooting involving two Broward sheriff's deputies that sent a man to the hospital.

The incident happened Sunday morning. Deputies were called to a domestic incident in Hollywood that led them to the 16000 block of Opal Creek Drive in Weston.

A neighbor, who didn't want to be identified, said the morning was unlike most mornings.

"Um it was a little chaotic, um unfortunately there was a little disagreement next door," he said.

The sheriff's office said when they responded to the Weston home, they found a man armed with a weapon and barricaded inside his home.

The neighbor told CBS News Miami's Chelsea Jones that he saw a man surrender a gun to an officer and heard him asking for his family. He said four people live inside the home, including the man, two daughters, and his wife. The sheriff's office said they sent deputies to the home to check on those kids.

Sometime later, the sheriff's office said the man left the home and got inside a vehicle. The neighbor who watched it all unfold from inside his home said deputies rammed the man's vehicle in his driveway.

"That's when he maneuvered, tried to move the vehicle out of the way and that's when we heard multiple gunshots. I counted about a dozen," the neighbor said.

One of those bullets went flying through that neighbor's truck. After the bullets flew, the sheriff's office said the man crashed into a tree before getting out and running away. He was taken into custody but also to a local hospital to be treated for gunshot wounds.

Neighbors said they live in a quiet neighborhood and the man involved is nice.

"A great person as far as a dad. You know he would do anything for his kids. He would spoil them with bicycles and gifts, and he didn't seem like anyone that would harm anybody," said the neighbor.

The two children were unharmed. The two deputies who fired their weapons have been placed on administrative duty pending the investigation.

Florida Department of Health investigates 6 cases at Manatee Bay Elementary in Weston

WESTON, Fla. – Measles recently infected half a dozen Broward County Public Schools students even though it can be prevented by two doses of vaccine.

The Florida Department of Health was investigating the measles cluster first reported six days ago at Manatee Bay Elementary, at 19200 Manatee Isles Drive, in Weston.

Dr. Marcos Mestre, a nationally recognized pediatrician, said kids typically get the first dose of the Measles, Mumps, Rubella, or MMR, vaccine, at age one and the second between the ages of 4 and 6.

“For those individuals that aren’t vaccinated, then at that point, it does become an increased risk and an increased risk not only to the child but also to others, possibly to other individuals in the home,” said Mestre, the vice president and chief medical officer of Nicklaus Children’s Hospital in Miami-Dade County.

On Wednesday, Broward County Superintendent Peter Licata reported that 33 out of 1,067 Manatee Bay Elementary School students did not have the vaccine.

“We have seen a delay in immunizations for children,” Mestre said.

U.S. health authorities had declared the highly contagious airborne virus “eliminated” in 2000, but that has changed. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that over 61 million vaccine doses were “postponed or missed” from 2020-22 and also warned there was “an increase in the number of travelers” who had brought it into “communities with pockets of unvaccinated people.”

The World Health Organization recently called for “urgent” preventative measures due to a “high measles risk” — mainly due to the missed vaccinations during the pandemic.

On Tuesday, Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph A. Ladapo distributed a letter to parents and guardians of students at Manatee Bay Elementary citing a “high immunity rate” in the community in Weston, a community also known as “Westonzuela” because of its ties to Venezuela.

Measles can spread four days before symptoms show up. Ladapo asked parents to “watch” for symptoms such as a rash, a high fever or a cough, a runny nose, or red, watery eyes. He also advised that “it is normally recommended” that children stay home until the end of the 21-day infectious period.

“DOH is deferring to parents or guardians to make decisions about school attendance,” Ladapo wrote.

The district reported there were 219 Manatee Bay Elementary students absent on Tuesday, 174 absent on Wednesday, and 168 absent on Thursday. The district and FDOH teamed up to provide free vaccines to students at the school.

The CDC, which monitors vaccine safety, warns that “anyone who has ever had a life-threatening allergic reaction to the antibiotic neomycin, should not get the vaccine. Mestre said the pediatricians’ consensus is that the risks of side effects are low and the benefits outweigh the risks.

“We have to make an extra effort — and this just shows why we need to continue to vaccinate and stay up to date with the childhood immunization schedules,” Mestre said.

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