Two Florida children have contracted measles following the state’s top health official’s decision to defy federal guidance aimed at containing an outbreak at an elementary school.
Last week, six children at Manatee Bay Elementary School in Weston, near Fort Lauderdale, were diagnosed with the disease. New state health data reveal two additional cases in Broward County, involving a child younger than 5 and another aged between 5 and 9.
The newly reported infections bring the total to eight. This comes just days after Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo contradicted federal and medical professional guidance.
The aim was to contain the spread of the highly contagious and preventable disease. Measles is experiencing a resurgence globally, and in the U.S., Florida is one of 11 states that have seen cases this year.
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It’s uncertain if the two new cases in Florida are linked to the school outbreak. According to district spokesperson John Sullivan, Broward County Public Schools haven’t identified any new cases since Tuesday, when there were six.
The State Department of Health has stated that no additional information is available at this time. In a letter on Tuesday, Ladapo stated that parents and guardians of Manatee Bay students could decide whether to send their children back to school.
This statement conflicted with federal and medical professional recommendations, which advised that children from the school should stay at home to prevent the spread of measles.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that unvaccinated children exposed to measles be isolated for three weeks. Ladapo initially appeared to agree with this assessment before concluding that children’s attendance was up to parents or guardians.
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This decision was influenced by the “high immunity rate” and concern over healthy children missing school. However, he mentioned that the state’s recommendation could change. Health experts are concerned by his lax attitude.
“This is a state surgeon general saying that he is not going to enforce any of the tenets of public health in the name of freedom,” said Dr. Paul Offit, director of the Vaccine Education Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, which has worked to contain a recent measles outbreak among children in the Pennsylvania city. “He wants freedom at the expense of putting children in harm’s way.”
“The only freedom Ladapo is upholding is the ‘freedom to harm,'” Offit said. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis appointed Ladapo as surgeon general in 2021, partly due to his outspoken opposition to COVID-19 vaccine mandates and school closures.
Last month, Ladapo stated that mRNA COVID-19 vaccines carry health risks, contradicting federal approvals and scientific consensus. With the measles outbreak, Ladapo once again diverges from expert consensus. Experts emphasize that isolation and vaccination are the most effective methods to halt the spread.
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“This is a vaccine-preventable disease,” stated Dr. Thresia Gambon, president of the Florida chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, to USA TODAY.
“There are very strict guidelines for handling an outbreak to contain it swiftly.” Gambon’s organization, representing pediatricians in the state, supports the CDC’s recommendation that children at the affected school should have been instructed to isolate.
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