United States: In Florida elementary school, a seventh case of measles came to light, adding another case to the ongoing outbreak as confirmed by the State’s Health officials on Tuesday.
More about the case
The Florida Department of Health – Broward informed Broward County Public Schools (BCPS) about the additional case that took place at Mantatee Bay Elementary in Weston, which is situated 20 miles west of Fort Lauderdale.
As per the statement released by the school district, the infected patient has not been physically present on campus since February 15. Moreover, the district and school departments are working with the health department continuously about the confirmed cases, as ABC News reported.
No other school in the district is affected
The superintendent for BCPS, Dr. Peter Licata, stated on Tuesday that other schools situated in the district are not affected by measles cases.
As ABC News reported, he said, “We are continuing to do daily cleaning on school busses and the facility above and beyond our normal cleaning,” and, “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.”
More about the previous cases of the district
Earlier this month, the first case of an infected third-grade student who had no travel history was confirmed.
It is not clear the grades of other infected students as well about the other information about them such as age, sex, and race or ethnicity.
Total measles cases in Florida and the US
As per the ABC News reports regarding the Florida Department of Health, a total of 10 cases have been reported and confirmed by the health department as intimated by the school authorities. Out of which, nine were confirmed from Broward County, and one was confirmed from Polk County, as per the statement released by the Florida Department of Health, as ABC News reported.
US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that the measles outbreak in the country made national news as 35 cases of the disease in 15 states were reported.
Of late, this concentrated contagious disease has returned, with the rates of measles immunization dwindling and the uptick in visitors returning from abroad. This has been evidenced by ABC News, where respiratory distress surfaced due to the arrival of measles in the country.
About the vaccination of Measles
In 1963, the very first measles vaccine that got only one dose was introduced in the US.
Consequently, in the past years, approximately 3 to 4 million people every year seek treatment for this disease, and it results in 48,000 cases of hospitalization plus about 500 deaths.