JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is reporting 102 measles cases in 14 states -- many of them tied to the California outbreak at Disneyland.
The CDC says most who became infected were not vaccinated.
Out of the 128,000 children enrolled in Duval County Public Schools, a little over 1,200 local kids opted out and don't have the MMR vaccine for measles, mumps and rubella.
Across the state, almost 7 percent of kindergarten-aged kids are also not vaccinated.
"It's a safe and effective vaccine," said Dr. Mobeen Rathore of UF Health. "If you haven't seen a disease with measles, you are lucky because this can be a terrible disease."
Doctors say although the measles outbreak hasn't been reported in Florida this year -- if it were to come here, many kids would be in danger because they aren't vaccinated.
"Back in 1991 we had a measles outbreak in Jacksonville and you saw quite a few cases of measles and many were admitted to the hospital and were very sick," Rathore said.
The American Academy of Pediatrics and other government health groups are urging parents to vaccinate their children on schedule rather than delaying or refusing shots.
Now, some doctors in California and even a couple in South Florida have decided to stop seeing children whose parents refuse to immunize them against preventable diseases such as measles.
They say keeping unvaccinated children out of the waiting room will make it safer for other children, including those too young to get certain vaccines.
| Duval CountyVaccination Exemptions | Medical | Religious | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| District wide | 208 | 1,009 | 1,217 |