Measles

The increase in the number of Florida's measles cases slowed down in March. But its overall case count is still one of the highest in the country.

The number of measles cases in Florida climbed to 140 as of March 14, with seven additional cases disclosed to the Florida Department of Health in the last reporting week, including one case in Broward County.

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As public health experts work to investigate the already reported infections, the virus continues to spread throughout the state.

Florida has the third-most measles cases in the country and is on track to be the second-highest. According to the Florida Department of Health's Reportable Diseases Frequency Report released this week, the number of diagnoses for 2026 jumped almost 25 percent, from 92 on Feb. 14 to 114 on Feb. 21.

Measles is highly contagious, and immunization rates in some counties are below the 95% recommended for herd immunity.

Measles is the most deadly of all childhood rash illnesses, according to the Florida Department of Health. Two children and an adult died this year in a measles outbreak in Texas.

Dr. Jyoti Somani, the the Associate Medical Director of Infection Prevention and Antimicrobial Stewardship at Jackson Health sat down with WLRN to answer questions about measles after a case was confirmed at a Miami-Dade high school.

Miami-Dade school and state health officials say they are continuing to monitor the school in Pinecrest for any potential outbreak of measles.

School officials sent a letter to parents that confirmed a student had been diagnosed with measles. A spokesperson Miami-Dade County Public Schools said a press conference is scheduled for Wednesday to discuss the measles case.

U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (FL-25) called for Florida's surgeon general Dr. Joseph Ladapo, a Gov. DeSantis ally, to resign or be terminated over his refusal to declare a public health emergency over the Broward County outbreak.

In the wake of measles cases at a Broward school, Florida's surgeon general writes that the Department of Health “is deferring to parents or guardians to make decisions about school attendance” without urging the need for MMR vaccinations.