Sarasota, Manatee school districts monitoring measles cases in Broward, Polk counties
As the number of measles cases climbs in Florida, with a total of nine reported in Broward and Polk counties, Sarasota and Manatee schools said they're monitoring the spread and are working with local health departments to be prepared in case it surfaces here.
The Sarasota County School District said it has advised all its schools to "be vigilant" in looking for signs of symptoms and illness. Symptoms of measles include high fever, cough, runny nose, watery eyes and a rash appearing several days after the onset of symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
If a case is spotted in Sarasota Schools, the school affected would take direction from the Florida Department of Health, as it did during the COVID-19 pandemic, district spokesperson Kelsey Whealy said.
The CDC recommends that those infected with measles should isolate for four days after the day they develop a rash and that that unvaccinated children exposed to measles be isolated for three weeks.
However, Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo last week contradicted federal and medical professional guidelines saying the parents and guardians at the Broward school where the outbreak surfaced could decide whether to send their children back to school. Ladapo concluded that children’s attendance was up to parents or guardians because of the “high immunity rate” and the burden of healthy children missing school, but he said the state's recommendation could change.
As of Feb. 25, the Florida Department of Health had confirmed eight cases of measles in Broward County. The newest case was reported Monday in Polk County.
No cases of measles have been reported in Sarasota or Manatee County as of Tuesday. The first case of the outbreak was reported at Manatee Bay Elementary School in Broward on Feb. 16.
Sarasota, Manatee school immunization rates
Before enrolling in school, parents of kindergarten and seventh-grade students are required to report their immunization status to their school, which in turn reports it to the Florida Department of Health. Parents can claim exemptions for their children, including religious or medical exemptions.
The Florida Department of Health requires the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) — vaccine as part of the round of immunizations needed to enroll in schools.
In Sarasota, 87.4% of kindergarteners in public and private schools reported proof of immunization for the 2021-22 school year, according to the most recent available DOH records. In Manatee County, 91.6% of kindergarteners in public and private schools reported proof of immunization for the same school year.
Sarasota's kindergarten immunization rate was lower than that of the two counties where measles cases have already surfaced. Polk County's immunization rate was 95.8% while Broward County's rate was 91.7%.
Manatee County tracks measles trend
In Manatee County, where the immunization rate is similar to that of Broward County, the district said its Health Services department was aware of the outbreak and has protocols in place to try to mitigate a potential outbreak.
Once a threshold of cases is hit, about five or six cases depending on the situation, the district would notify parents, district spokesperson Michael Barber said.
The district would also collaborate with the Department of Health to track any trends and see which students were not immunized, and exclude them as necessary, he said.
This report includes material from the USA TODAY Network-Florida.
Follow Herald-Tribune Education Reporter Steven Walker on Twitter at @swalker_7. He can be reached at sbwalker@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Sarasota Herald-Tribune: Florida measles cases put Sarasota and Manatee schools on alert
