March 12, 2026, 10:46 a.m. ET
- Florida has reported 132 measles cases this year, with a significant outbreak in Collier County.
- The state has the third-highest rate of measles cases in the nation for 2026.
- Measles is a highly contagious virus, but the MMR vaccine is proven to be 97% effective with two doses.
Eight more measles cases have been reported in Florida, according to the latest numbers from the Florida Department of Health, bringing this year’s total of reported cases to 132.
Most of the now 98 reported cases in Collier are victims between the ages of 15 to 24, according to FDOH data, although one of the new cases was a victim between the ages of 10 to 14. An outbreak has been sweeping through the campus of Ave Maria University, a small Catholic school with roughly 1,400 students, since late January.
The other three new cases were reported in Osceola, Pasco and Pinellas counties. All of them were older than 20 years old, the FDOH said. (Scroll down for the county-by-county breakdown.)
The numbers are the latest weekly update as of March 12 on the state Department of Health’s reportable disease website. The data lags a week and covers reports through March 7.
So far in 2026, Florida has the third-highest rate of cases of measles in the nation, according to a measles dashboard maintained by the Center for Outbreak Response Innovation (CORI) at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. The highest rate by far is in South Carolina, which has reported 664 cases this year, followed by Utah with 209.
Everyone who has not been vaccinated against it is at risk for measles — a highly contagious disease the U.S. declared eliminated more than a quarter-century ago — but it is especially dangerous for children under five, adults over 20, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems. Complications include pneumonia, encephalitis and death.
Measles vaccinations have been proven to be 97% effective for two doses and 93% for one dose, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), but the vaccination rate has been dropping. A bill to allow Florida parents and guardians to more easily exempt their children from vaccines passed in the Senate on Monday.
Where have cases of measles been reported in Florida?
According to March 12 data from the FDOH, delayed a week:
- Alachua County: 2 victims, both between the ages of 0-4
- Broward County: 2 victims, 1 between the ages of 10-14, 1 between the ages of 40-44
- Collier County: 98 victims
- 2 aged 4 or under
- 3 between the ages of 5-9
- 5 between the ages of 10-14
- 47 between the ages of 15-19
- 38 between the ages of 20-24
- 1 between the ages of 35-39
- 1 between the ages of 55-59
- 1 between the ages of 60-64
- Duval County: 6 victims
- 3 aged 4 or under
- 1 between the ages of 5-9
- 1 between the ages of 10-14
- 1 between the ages of 20-24
- Escambia County: 5 victims, 1 aged 4 or under, 4 between the ages of 15-19
- Hillsborough County: 2 victims, 1 between the ages of 20-24 and 1 between the ages of 30-34
- Lee County: 2 victims between the ages of 15-19
- Manatee County: 3 victims
- 1 between the ages of 10-14
- 1 between the ages of 15-19
- 1 between the ages of 20-24
- Miami-Dade County: 1 victim under the age of 4
- Osceola County: 1 victim between the ages of 25-29
- Pasco County: 1 victim between the ages of 20-24
- Pinellas County: 6 victims
- 2 between the ages of 5-9
- 2 between the ages of 10-14
- 1 between the ages of 15-19
- 1 between the ages of 30-34
- St. Johns County: 3 victims
- 1 between the ages of 10-14
- 1 between the ages of 15-19
- 1 between the ages of 25-29
Where are people in Florida getting measles?
According to the FDOH report, 93 of the 124 cases in Florida were acquired in the state, six were acquired elsewhere in the U.S., and two were acquired outside of the U.S. In 31 of the cases, the origin is unknown.
What is measles?
Measles is a highly contagious, incurable respiratory virus that causes a blotchy rash. It was once a common childhood disease, but it was nearly eradicated by widespread vaccinations.
Measles is so contagious that if a person has it, up to 9 or 10 people around them will also get it if they are unvaccinated, according to the CDC. It can be contracted in a room where an infected person has been for up to two hours after that person has left. An infected person is contagious up to four days before showing any signs of the disease.
There is no cure. Health professionals can only treat the symptoms and address complications. And the numbers are not good, according to the CDC and the FDOH:
- About 1 in 5 people who get measles will be hospitalized.
- 1 in 10 may develop ear infections that can lead to permanent hearing loss.
- 1 in 20 will develop pneumonia, the most common cause of death from measles in young children.
- About 1 in every 1,000 people who get measles will develop brain swelling (encephalitis) that can lead to brain damage, and 1 to 3 of those people will die.
Measles is also easily prevented by a regular measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine. But trust in vaccines is down, and the number of vaccine exemptions has hit a record level, according to federal data.
Measles outbreaks increasing
As of March 5, there have been 1,281 confirmed measles cases reported in the United States so far in 2026, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The cases were in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Mexico, New York City, New York State, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, and Wisconsin. Four measles cases were reported among international visitors to the U.S.
Last year, 2,276 cases and three deaths were reported.
Nearly all (94%) of the victims were either unvaccinated or the vaccination status was unknown, the CDC said.
“When more than 95% of people in a community are vaccinated (coverage >95%), most people are protected through community immunity (herd immunity),” the CDC said.
However, vaccination coverage among U.S. kindergartners decreased from 95.2% during the 2019-2020 school year to 92.5% in the 2024-2025 school year, the CDC said. Florida had a vaccination rate of 88.8% for the 2024-2025 school year.
Florida lawmakers working to make it easier for parents to keep children unvaccinated
Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo has spoken out against mandatory vaccines, vowing in 2025 to eliminate vaccines required of children to attend public school. Two Republican bills currently moving through committees in the Florida legislative session would relax immunization restrictions in the state by giving parents and guardians more leeway to exempt their kids.
The Senate bill, SB 1756 (the “Medical Freedom Act”), would make it easier for parents or guardians to exempt children from school immunization requirements by creating a nonmedical “conscience-based” exemption. It also allows transferring students to attend school for up to 30 days without immunization documentation, among other things. SB 1756 passed the Senate on Monday, March 9.
The companion House bill, HB 917 (the ‘Health Care 39 Medical Freedom Act”), would prevent healthcare providers or facilities from discriminating against patients based on the patient’s vaccination status, meaning facilities would not be allowed to refuse to treat unvaccinated children or separate them in waiting rooms from other patients who may be contagious or are immune-compromised. The bill also requires healthcare providers to provide a minor’s parent or guardian with the “unique risks, benefits, safety, and efficacy of each vaccine.” HB 917 has been referred to committees but has not otherwise moved.
What are the symptoms of measles?
Symptoms do not show until at least a week after infection, during which the victim is highly contagious. If you believe your child has been exposed to measles, contact your health care provider immediately. According to the CDC:
7-14 days after a measles infection: first symptoms show
- High fever (may spike to more than 104°)
- Cough
- Runny nose (coryza)
- Red, watery eyes (conjunctivitis)
2-3 days after symptoms begin: Koplik spots
Tiny white spots (Koplik spots) may appear inside the mouth two to three days after symptoms begin.
3-5 days after symptoms begin: measles rash
Measles rash appears 3 to 5 days after the first symptoms. It usually begins as flat red spots that appear on the face at the hairline. They then spread downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs, and feet.
- Small raised bumps may also appear on top of the flat red spots.
- The spots may become joined together as they spread from the head to the rest of the body.
- When the rash appears, a person’s fever may spike to more than 104° Fahrenheit.
C. A. Bridges is a journalist for the USA TODAY Network-Florida’s service journalism Connect team. You can get all of Florida’s best content directly in your inbox each weekday day by signing up for the free newsletter, Florida TODAY.
