Parents at Manatee Bay Elementary can keep their kids home for up to 21 days, relying on at-home learning if they have concerns about a recent measles outbreak, Broward Schools Superintendent Peter Licata said Wednesday.
“Any student at Manatee Bay whether vaccinated or unvaccinated can stay home for 21 days,” Licata said. “We are in the process of developing how to ensure there’s continuous learning for families who exercise this option. This will not be virtual learning. It will offer a bridge during the 21-day period.”
On Tuesday evening, health officials confirmed a sixth case of measles at the Weston school. That number remained steady Wednesday, and there are no other known cases at any other district schools, spokesman John Sullivan said.
Licata gave a brief update about the measles cases at a School Board meeting Wednesday.
He said that 33 out of 1,067 students are not vaccinated for measles. Parents can use a medical or religious exemption from mandatory vaccine requirements. The Health Department has offered vaccinations at the school.
On Wednesday, 174 Manatee Bay students were absent, down from more than 200 on Tuesday.
Licata said the school has “taken all available measures to ensure the safety of students and staff by deep cleaning the campus and changing all air filters. Also, all school buses transporting these students have been deep cleaned and had air filter changes.”
“The principal remains in close contact with the families and we will continue to provide timely updates for the entire community,” Licata said.
It’s unclear whether all six children with measles were unvaccinated for the disease that was once thought to be eradicated in the United States. The first reported case last Thursday was a third-grade student at the elementary school.
While the health department has not linked the first reported case to travel, infectious disease experts say it is likely he or she was in contact with someone who visited an area where measles is spreading. The U.S. Census shows nearly half the population in Weston is foreign-born and many travel internationally.
Late Tuesday, the school district shared a Department of Health letter that had been given to parents and guardians of students at Manatee Bay. The letter signed by Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo noted, “When measles is detected in a school, it is normally recommended that individuals without history of prior infection or vaccination stay home for up to 21 days. This is the period of time that the virus can be transmitted.”
Measles is highly contagious, spread through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. If one person has it, about 90% of people around them will also become infected if they are not protected by the vaccine or masks, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The disease can live on a surface or in an airspace for up to two hours where the infected person coughed or sneezed. If other people breathe the contaminated air or touch the infected surface, then touch their eyes, noses, or mouths, they can become infected. If people are unvaccinated for measles, their risk is much higher.
The measles-mumps-rubella vaccine, or MMR, is required for students attending public schools in Florida, according to the state Department of Health. The vaccine is two doses, the first dose at 12 to 15 months and the second dose at 4 to 6 years old. One dose of MMR vaccine is 93% effective in preventing measles. Two doses of MMR vaccine are 97% effective against measles.
Staff writer Cindy Krischer Goodman contributed to this report.
