Apr 22, 2015

New Confirmed Cases of Measles in Florida


By on 9:52 AM

Three new cases of measles have been reported in the last few days to the Florida Department of Health. The three cases are located on the Treasure Coast: two in Indian River County and one in St. Lucie County.

The index case, an adult in Indian River County-Vero Beach, is thought to have acquired measles during overseas travel and spread it to a family member in the same house. The St. Lucie County-Port St. Lucie case is a 6-year-old child who was previously unvaccinated. The Florida Department of Health is working with the specific school district in St. Lucie County to notify families of this highly transmissible disease.

These new cases of measles have health officials concerned. They come just a few weeks after an isolated case was reported when an international traveler became ill at a conference in Kissimmee. No new cases had resulted in Florida that could be attributed to that foreign traveler.  

Specific vaccination guidelines are available for unvaccinated adults and children. In an effort to implement effective infection control efforts, it is recommended that children be immunized against measles between 12 and 15 months and again at 4 to 6 years.

Phenelle Segal, RN, CIC, FAPIC

Phenelle Segal, RN, CIC, FAPIC, is the founder and president of Infection Control Consulting Services LLC (ICCS), which is based in Delray Beach, Florida. Phenelle has more than 30 years experience providing customized comprehensive infection control and prevention services to healthcare facilities nationwide. Her services focus on assisting hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, dental office and oral surgery practices, doctor's offices, nursing homes to implement and maintain an infection control program that: complies with The Joint Commission (TJC), Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) and other regulatory agencies, respond to situations of noncompliance, and improve the processes for reducing risk.

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