The seventh case of measles linked to an outbreak at a Florida elementary school was confirmed by Health officials Tuesday.
Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) said it was informed by the Florida Department of Health – Broward of the additional case at Mantatee Bay Elementary in Weston, which is 20 miles west of Fort Lauderdale.
The infected patient has not physically been on campus since Feb. 15, and the district and school are continuing to work with the health department regarding the confirmed cases, according to a statement from the school district.
Dr. Peter Licata, superintendent for BCPS, said in an update on Tuesday that no other schools in the district have been impacted by measles cases.
“We are continuing to do daily cleaning on school busses and the facility above and beyond our normal cleaning,” he said. “We do have additional vaccination opportunities, which are available online, and we want to thank the administration and the teachers and all the staff at Manatee Bay for their continued dedication to the school whereas we had, as of this morning, only 82 students absent. Form a week ago, we were up to 220, I believe, 219.”
An exterior view of Manatee Bay Elementary School on Feb. 19, 2024, in Weston, Fla. The Florida Department of Health is investigating a measles outbreak at the school.
\Matias J. Ocner/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images
The initial case was confirmed earlier this month in a third-grade student with no travel history. However, it is unclear which grades the other infected students are in as well as other identifying information about them, including age, sex and race/ethnicity.
BCPS did not immediately reply to ABC News’ request for comment.
Currently, Florida has a total of 10 confirmed measles cases with nine confirmed in Broward County and one confirmed in Polk County, according to the Florida Department of Health.
This year, there have been at least 35 measles cases reported in 15 states, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000, meaning the disease “is no longer constantly present in this country.” The dip in routine childhood vaccinations in recent years — as well as travelers bringing measles into the country — has resulted in outbreaks.
The first measles vaccine, a single-dose vaccine, was introduced in the U.S. in 1963. In the decade prior, there were three to four million cases annually, which led to 48,000 hospitalizations and 400 to 500 deaths.
The current two-dose measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine recommended by the CDC is 93% effective after one dose and 97% effective after two doses.
ABC News’ Youri Benadjaoud contributed to this report.
