Additional measles case reported at Florida elementary school as lawmaker urges public health emergency

Seven measles cases have now been linked to an outbreak at Manatee Bay Elementary School in Weston, Florida, the Broward County schools superintendent said Tuesday. The Florida Department of Health is reporting 10 cases statewide.

Seven measles cases have now been linked to an outbreak at Manatee Bay Elementary in Weston, Florida, the Broward County schools superintendent said Tuesday. The Florida Department of Health is reporting 10 cases statewide. The additional cases were reported as lawmakers and health officials from across the country are calling for parents and state officials to take additional steps to protect students. Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo wrote in a letter last week that the health department is “deferring to parents or guardians to make decisions about school attendance” during the outbreak. Nine of the state’s measles cases are in Broward County, and all of those involve children, according to the latest numbers from the Florida Department of Health. Seven of the children are between 5 and 14 years old, data shows. The two other children are younger than 4. The state’s 10th case is a travel-related diagnosis in an adult that was reported in Polk County, according to the state Department of Health. Measles is a highly contagious disease that can have complications and even turn deadly, according to the CDC. Symptoms may include fever, cough, runny nose, watery eyes and a rash of red spots. In rare cases, it may lead to pneumonia, encephalitis or death. Measles also can weaken the immune system and may “delete” its immune memory.