JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – With countless spring breakers expected to flock to and from Northeast Florida in just a matter of days, health officials are sounding the alarm about measles.
As of now, there are no confirmed measles cases in Duval County, but doctors worry that could change with spring break starting next week.
“It will spread. The issue is not if measles will spread, it’s how significant the spread will be,” UF Professor, Chief of the Division of Community and Societal Pediatrics Dr. Jeffery Goldhagen said.
The city of Jacksonville issued a warning this week, saying once a person is infected with the virus, they can spread it to nine out of 10 unvaccinated contacts.
News4JAX spoke to a man who survived measles in his youth about why children should get vaccinated.
Rick Garcia is 44 years old, but he’ll never forget having measles in high school.
“You remember pain. One thing you don’t ever forget, you remember pain. You remember the things that hurt you the most,” Garcia said.
Garcia said he experienced a high fever, red, watery eyes and a rash on his face and neck.
“Made me feel real weak. It took me probably about a week and a half to two weeks to start feeling normal again. I had to miss two weeks of school,” Garcia said.
With several of our local counties already on spring break and Duval County students starting spring break Monday, doctors are concerned we could see cases pop up locally.
“We’ve already had a number of children across the state that have been infected. We should expect infections here in Duval County,” Goldhagen said.
Goldhagen said for there to be herd immunity, more than 95% of children need to be vaccinated.
He said post the COVID-19 pandemic, that number has dropped to 90% or less. According to the Partnership for Child Health, about 1 in 5 unvaccinated children who get measles will become hospitalized.
“We’ve always had a concern from some parents about vaccinating against measles, mumps, and rubella. But generally, in the past, we’ve been able to maintain a 95% plus vaccination rate,” Goldhagen said.
One of the main concerns from doctors is that having measles can lead to other dangerous health conditions such as pneumonia.
There’s also the chance a child could develop encephalitis, which is swelling of the brain. It can cause convulsions, deafness or leave the child with an intellectual disability.
“I know a lot of times, parents, they want the best for their child, including myself. I would definitely make sure everybody has their vaccinations and stay away from the places where a contagion could happen,” Garcia said.
For more information on measles and how to stay safe, visit floridahealth.gov.
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