Florida measles cluster steady
For the first time in months, measles cases tied to an outbreak linked to Ave Maria University have stayed flat since March 28, with Collier County holding at 106 reported cases and most infections in people aged 15 to 24. (wusf.org) Florida now ranks fourth in the country for measles cases in 2026 according to the report. (wusf.org)
Florida’s measles count stopped rising in early April, ending a 10-week run of weekly increases and leaving the state at 144 reported cases. (wusf.org) The stall showed up in Collier County, where the outbreak tied to Ave Maria University has held at 106 cases since March 28, according to the Florida Department of Health. (floridahealth.gov) Most Collier County cases have been in older teens and young adults, with 50 cases in people ages 15 to 19 and 41 in people ages 20 to 24. (swfl.io) Measles spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention calls it one of the most contagious diseases in the world. (cdc.gov) That helps explain why a campus outbreak mattered so quickly. Ave Maria University has about 1,400 students, and local reporting has traced the Collier County surge back to cases identified there in late January. (naplesnews.com) Florida’s pace had already been slowing before the latest flat week. The state added 123 cases in January and February, then 21 more from March 1 through March 28. (cfpublic.org) Even with that slowdown, Florida still ranked fourth nationally for measles cases in 2026 in recent state and local reports. (wusf.org) Nationally, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 1,671 confirmed measles cases had been reported in the United States as of April 2, with 94% tied to outbreaks. (cdc.gov) Florida health officials say the best protection is the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, as the state watches to see whether the first flat week becomes the start of a longer break in transmission. (wgcu.org)
