Is there a measles outbreak in Florida? Where the cases are

USA TODAY NETWORK - Florida

Feb. 10, 2026, 6:03 a.m. ET

• The number of reported measles cases in Florida varies depending on the source, with discrepancies between state and local reports.

• An outbreak at Ave Maria University in Collier County has contributed to a significant number of cases, several reporting more than 80 cases.

• Measles is a highly contagious virus with no cure, and it can lead to serious complications like pneumonia and brain swelling.

  
  

How many cases of measles have been reported in Florida? It depends on who you ask.

The latest report from the Florida Department of Health, ending Jan. 31, lists 15.

A measles dashboard maintained by the Center for Outbreak Response Innovation (CORI) at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security says there have been 79 confirmed cases in the Sunshine State this year, the fifth-most of any state in the country behind Washington (18), Arizona (34), Utah (66) and South Carolina (592).

However, at least 60 students at Ave Maria University in Collier County have confirmed measles infections and there are still 14 cases pending testing, according to a local clinic.

In a health alert posted on its website, Ava Maria said that five students presented with rash since last Friday and are being quarantined. The alert also implied 48 students have had measles since the start of the semester last year, saying only that they have "progressed beyond the contagious period and now have natural immunity."

Measles is contagious. It is so contagious that if a person has it, up to 9 or 10 people around them will also get it if they are unvaccinated, according to the CDC, and it can be contracted in a room where an infected person has been for up to two hours after that person has left. An infected person is contagious for up to four days before showing any signs of the disease. 

There is no cure. Health professionals can only treat the symptoms and address complications.

About 1 in 5 people who get measles will be hospitalized, the CDC said. One in 10 develop ear infections that can lead to permanent hearing loss. One in 20 will develop pneumonia, the most common cause of death from measles in young children, according to the Florida Department of Health. About one in every 1,000 people who get measles will develop brain swelling (encephalitis) that can lead to brain damage, and one to three of those people will die, "even with the best care," the CDC said.

Measles is also easily prevented by a regular measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. But trust in vaccines is down and the number of vaccine exemptions has hit a record level, according to federal data.

As of Feb. 5, 733 confirmed measles cases were reported in the United States so far in 2026, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Kentucky, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin.

Last year, 2,276 cases and three deaths were reported. According to the CDC, 95% of the cases this year and 93% of the cases in 2025 were people who were unvaccinated or their vaccination status was unknown.

"When more than 95% of people in a community are vaccinated (coverage >95%), most people are protected through community immunity (herd immunity)," the CDC said.

However, vaccination coverage among U.S. kindergartners decreased from 95.2% during the 2019–2020 school year to 92.5% in the 2024–2025 school year, the CDC said. Florida had a vaccination rate of 88.8% for the 2024-2025 school year.

Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo has spoken out against mandatory vaccines, vowing in 2025 to eliminate vaccines required of children to attend public school. 

Where have cases of measles been reported in Florida?

According to data from the FDOH and reports from Collier County:

• Alachua County: 1 victim between the ages of 20-24

• Broward County: 1 victim between the ages of 10-14

• Collier County: 4, two of them between the ages of 15-19 and the other two between 20-24

• Duval County: 4, two under the age of 4, one between 5-9 and one between 10-14

• Hillsborough County: 1 victim between the ages of 20-24

• Lee County: 1 victim between the ages of 15-19

• Manatee County: 1 victim between the ages of 20-24

• Miami-Dade County: 1 victim under the age of 4

• St. Johns County: 1 victim between the ages of 25-29

It is unknown if the 60 cases reported by the Mater Dei clinic in Collier County include the four listed by the FDOH. Mater Dei said last week that 14 more cases were awaiting testing.

The FDOH reporting site is expected to be updated again on Thursday, Feb. 12.