JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — First Coast News is on your side with information health experts say could potentially save your child’s life.
A tenth measles case is now confirmed in Florida. This information comes as immunization rates for Florida students are lower than they have been in more than a decade, data from the Florida Department of Health shows, and Duval County falls at the bottom of the list.
Duval County has the lowest immunization rate for seventh graders in the state, according to the latest data published by the health department. The data shows there are no cases of measles in Duval County, but as health experts explain, numbers show more children are at risk now than have been in over a decade.
"I have a 3-year-old daughter named Kyleigh," said Joel Jimenez. "She's just a ball of energy as you can see by all these toys everywhere."
Jimenez has been paying attention to the measles outbreak, which is now up to nine cases in children in Broward County and one case in an adult in Polk County, according to the DOH.
“It's scary," said Jimenez, whose daughter is vaccinated. "You don't want to watch your kid, it's the worst thing to watch your kid catch any kind of sickness."
It’s important to note, said UF Health Director of Infection Prevention Chad Neilsen, that most people in Florida are vaccinated for measles. However, for those who are unvaccinated, it can be life-threatening.
“Measles is extremely contagious," said Neilsen. "And if you have an unvaccinated child around measles, they have almost a 100 percent chance of getting it.”
The latest DOH data from the 2021-2022 school year shows Duval County seventh graders have the lowest immunization rate in Florida (for vaccinations required for school) at 84 percent. That’s 10 percent lower than the state average, and no other counties fall below 90 percent.
Immunization rates for Duval County kindergarteners are slightly higher at 89.5 percent, but still one of the lowest in the state and below the state average.
“You need about 95 percent of the population to be vaccinated against measles in order to sort of stop an outbreak from happening,” said Neilsen.
Measles was declared eliminated from the U.S. in 2000. Now parents like Jimenez are keeping it on their radars, something that hasn’t needed to be done in at least 24 years.
“We want to make sure that she stays safe, most of all," Jimenez said about his daughter.
Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo told Broward County parents they could decide if their child would stay home from school. Neilsen advises following CDC guidance, which recommends unvaccinated children exposed to measles isolate for three weeks.
Click here to learn what symptoms to watch for.