Instead of following the “usual” recommendation of keeping unvaccinated children at home for up to 21 days (the incubation period for measles), the state health department said. “Decisions regarding enrollment are left to parents or guardians.”
The controversial move by Ladapo follows a pattern that goes against public health norms, especially when it comes to vaccines. Last month, he called for a halt to the use of mRNA coronavirus vaccines, a move condemned by the public health community.
Ben Hoffman, president of the American Academy of Pediatrics, said Florida's guidance contradicts long-standing and widely accepted public health guidance against measles, which can cause severe complications, including death.
“That goes against everything I've ever heard and read,” Hoffman said. “It's against our policy. It's against our policy. [Centers for Disease Control and Prevention] It is recommended. ”
The incidence of measles has been on the rise in recent years. So far in 2024, at least 26 cases have been reported to the CDC in at least 12 states, nearly double the number at this time last year. In addition to the six confirmed cases in Florida schools. It has been reported in Arizona, California, Georgia, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York City, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Virginia.
Experts say the outbreak is due to the number of parents seeking exemptions from childhood vaccinations in recent years, amid political backlash against mandates during the coronavirus pandemic and rampant misinformation about vaccine safety. It is said that this is related to the increase in
In January, the CDC issued a warning to health care providers to be on the lookout for an increase in measles cases. Infected people are contagious from 4 days before the rash appears to 4 days after the rash appears.
Measles virus particles can linger in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours after an infected person leaves the area, so up to 90% of people without immunity can become infected if exposed to measles . Anyone who has been infected or has received both of her doses of the MMR vaccine is 98% protected and is very unlikely to become infected. that That's why public health officials recommend vaccination during an outbreak.
John P. Moore, professor of microbiology and immunology at Weill Cornell Medical College, said, “The reason for the measles outbreak in Florida's schools is that too many parents have not given their children safe and effective measles vaccines.'' This is because they are not protecting it.” “Why? It's because the anti-vaccine sentiment in Florida comes from Joseph Ladapo, the head of the public health food chain.”
When asked for comment, the Florida Department of Health responded with a link to Ladapo's letter.
Ladapo's reluctance to use public health tools reflects efforts by conservative and liberal forces to undermine public health's ability to contain highly contagious diseases like measles. There is. Most of the 85 children infected in the measles outbreak that began in Ohio in late 2022 were old enough to be vaccinated, but their parents were not vaccinated, authorities said. In 2021, the state Legislature stripped health officials of their authority to order people suspected of having an infectious disease to quarantine.
Ladapo's letter to parents comes at a time of growing concern about the impact of anti-vaccination sentiment on public health, an issue that has been linked to declining child immunization rates across the United States. This is a long-standing problem. The percentage of kindergarteners whose parents refused at least one state-mandated childhood immunization rose to a record high of 3% during the 2022-2023 school year, according to federal data released last year.
Paul Offit, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, said Ladapo is putting children at risk by not encouraging vaccination.
“Despite clear evidence that measles is the most contagious vaccine-preventable disease and far more contagious than influenza or the new coronavirus, it is important to note that measles is not a contagious disease. Are you trying to prove it?'' Offit wrote in an email.
Measles virus is highly contagious and spreads rapidly. Infants are particularly vulnerable because the first vaccination is not given until they are 12 to 15 months old. The CDC recommends two doses of the MMR vaccine, with the second dose given between ages 4 and 6.
If measles vaccination rates fall below 95%, herd immunity may be compromised and the spread of the virus may accelerate further. Florida's state vaccination rate is 90.6 percent, but the statewide vaccination rate does not identify areas where vaccination rates may be lower.
The outbreak will explode exponentially, posing a threat to larger communities. not vaccinated Patsy Stinchfield, president of the National Foundation for Infectious Diseases, said people who have been exposed to the virus are not following public health recommendations and staying home from school during periods of potential infection. and a nurse in Minneapolis. She has been involved in containing three measles outbreaks, including one in 2017 in Minnesota that sickened 75 people, most of whom were unvaccinated and most of whom were children. .
About 1 in 5 unvaccinated people infected with measles in the United States is hospitalized. According to the CDC. One in 20 children develops pneumonia, which is the most common cause of death from measles in young children. About 1 in 1,000 children infected with measles develops swelling of the brain, which causes seizures, and the child may be left with hearing loss or intellectual disability. If an unvaccinated infant becomes infected with measles, 1 in 600 will develop fatal neurological complications, which can persist for years.
Manatee Bay Elementary School, about 32 miles west of Fort Lauderdale, has six confirmed cases of measles, school officials announced this week. Thirty-three of the school's 1,067 students have not received the MMR vaccine, Broward County Schools Superintendent Peter B. Licata said at Wednesday's school board meeting. School district officials said the district has held “four vaccination opportunities,” two at schools and two elsewhere in the community.
The first case was reported Friday in a third-grade student with no history of international travel, Florida health officials said.
School officials referred questions to the Broward County School District, which said it was following guidance from the state health department.
