Unvaccinated students from schools with measles outbreak are usually recommended to stay at home for some time.
Florida’s health department is allowing children unvaccinated against measles to attend a school where an outbreak has been registered, pointing out the high rate of immunity in the community.
Six students from Florida’s Manatee Bay Elementary School, Weston, have contracted measles. On Tuesday, the Florida Department of Health (DOH) released a letter from Dr. Joseph A. Ladapo, the state’s surgeon general, dismissing the need to quarantine children at homes.
When measles is detected at schools, it is “normally recommended that individuals without history of prior infection or vaccination stay home for up to 21 days. This is the period of time that the virus can be transmitted,” the letter said, addressing parents and guardians.
“However, due to the high immunity rate in the community, as well as the burden on families and educational cost of healthy children missing school, DOH is deferring to parents or guardians to make decisions about school attendance.”
Earlier on Sunday, the Florida DOH-Broward said in a press release that it was working to identify contacts at risk of transmission. Measles is a “highly contagious” disease and can remain infectious in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours, it said.
The most prominent symptom of measles is a rash that typically develops on the face and neck, which can then spread to the rest of the body. Prior to the rash, some of the symptoms include red, watery eyes, runny nose, cough, and high fever.
Individuals who have received the full series of measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) immunization are “98 percent protected and are highly unlikely to contract measles,” Florida DOH-Broward said.
“Susceptible contacts at risk include those that are immunocompromised and/or those who have not received a full series of the MMR immunization.”
The department asked people who notice symptoms of measles to contact their health care providers for instructions on seeking safe medical attention without exposing the infection to other people.
