A seventh case, the first in a child under age 5, follows the state’s controversial surgeon general’s decision to let parents decide whether to quarantine children or keep them in school.

The Florida measles outbreak is expanding. On Friday, health officials in Broward County confirmed a seventh case of the virus, a child under age 5.

The patient is the youngest so far to be infected in the outbreak, and the first to be identified outside of Manatee Bay Elementary School in Weston, near Fort Lauderdale.

It’s unknown what connection the youngest measles case has to the school, but the spread beyond school-age kids was expected.

Cases are “not going to stay contained just to that one school, not when a virus is this infectious,” said Dr. David Kimberlin, co-director of the division of pediatric infectious diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

  • kreekybonez@lemmy.world
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    4 months ago

    and then when it gets too hot down there, all of the snowbirds migrate out and start an insane summer spread for the rest of the continent

    • NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world
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      4 months ago

      The vast majority of snowbirds would be vaccinated.

      The antivax movement wasn’t as big when they were kids, they would have gotten their shots back then.

      • Kage520@lemmy.world
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        4 months ago

        Mmr does wear off though. Some older Americans got titers drawn and showed they were no longer immune so they got a third shot.

        Not sure what he acip recommendation on that is though.

        • NotMyOldRedditName@lemmy.world
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          4 months ago

          If this continues (and given this dumbass surgeon general and the antivax movement it will), we might start getting recommendations to get your MMR checked after X years or even for everyone to get it checked.