There are now five confirmed cases of measles coming out of an elementary school in Broward County in South Florida, school district officials reported Monday afternoon.
All of the infections so far come from Manatee Bay Elementary School in Weston, just west of Fort Lauderdale, but officials haven’t said whether all of the people who contracted measles are students. The school alerted parents on Friday that a 3rd grader with no history of travel had measles, according to the South Florida Sun Sentinel.
“We received updated information from the Florida Department of Health – Broward regarding one additional confirmed case of measles at Manatee Bay Elementary School,” said John Sullivan, chief communications and legislative affairs officer, wrote in a press release Monday. “This brings the total number of cases to five. The District is maintaining close coordination with the Health Department to address this ongoing situation. Over the weekend, the District took further preventive measures by conducting a deep cleaning of the school premises and replacing its air filters.”
Measles is a highly contagious airborne disease that can have serious health complications in children younger than five, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Symptoms of measles include:
- High fever
- Cough
- Runny nose
- Red, watery eyes
- Rash that appears 3-5 days after symptoms begin
Although someone with measles can infect up to 9 out of 10 people near them if they are not protected, the MMR vaccine is about 97% effective at preventing measles, according to the CDC.
Last year, the department of health reported two cases of measles (one in Miami-Dade County and another in Seminole County).