Nursing students hit by measles outbreak at Florida university
- - Nursing students hit by measles outbreak at Florida university
Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY February 13, 2026 at 9:26 PM
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Over a half-dozen more nursing students at a Florida university are battling measles, health officials confirmed this week, as the virus' outbreak continues to grow nationwide.
At least seven students at Ave Maria University have contracted the highly-contagious virus, the school released in a statement this week, bringing to the total number of cases to at least 57. The university is in Collier County about a 35-minute drive northeast from Naples.
In a Feb. 11 online campus health update, the universtiy wrote that"since the start of the semester, 50 nurse-assessed students "have progressed beyond the contagious period and now have natural immunity."
The virus causes a redish blotchy, rash that usually appears on the body three to five days after initial symptoms, according to the Centers for Disease Control. An infected person can spread the virus four days before a rash appears through four days after it appears.
"All nurse-assessed students on campus within the four-day contagious period following the onset of a rash are in quarantine," the university released in a statement on its website.
In response to the outbreak, the statement continues, the school will continue to provide support through ongoing monitoring and quarantine protocols, free vaccinations, and "transparent communication."
According to the state Department of Health, 46 confirmed measles cases had been reported across Collier County from Jan. 1 through Feb. 7, 2026.
A healthcare worker prepares a dose of the measles vaccine at a health module during a mass vaccination campaign launched by the Ministry of Health in response to the increase in measles cases in Mexico City on February 8, 2026.
State officials are urging people to check their vaccination status as measles cases rise across the nation with outbreaks reported in states including California and South Carolina.
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What is measles and how do you get it?
Measles is a vaccine-preventable disease caused by a virus that primarily, and most severely, affects children. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it infects the respiratory tract before spreading throughout the body.
According to CDC data, one in five unvaccinated people who contract the virus end up hospitalized.
Measles is spread through contact with infected nasal or throat secretion.
Outbreak comes amid government's scrutiny of vaccines
The outbreak at the university comes just over a month after federal regulators overhauled their long-time guidance on childhood immunization and reverted recommendations for routine vaccination against six infectious diseases, including the flu.
In August 2025, the Department of Health and Human Services announced it would wind down mRNA vaccine development activities under its biomedical research unit, the Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority. The unit helped companies develop medical supplies to address public health threats and had provided billions of dollars to develop vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Major medical organizations and health experts have criticized guidelines of Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a longtime vaccine skeptic who has been making sweeping changes to not only vaccines but food and medicine policies.
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Can you get measles if you have been vaccinated?
Yes, you can contract the virus if you have been vaccinated with the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine (MMR) according to the CDC, but it is rare.
About three in 100 people who have gotten the two-dose vaccination may contract the virus when exposed, the CDC says. Their symptoms are milder than those who contract it without being vaccinated – and they are less likely to spread measles.
Per CDC data, one dose of the MMR vaccine is 93% effective against measles, 78% effective against mumps, and 97% effective against rubella. Two doses of MMR vaccine are 97% effective against measles and 88% effective against mumps.
This story has been with new information.
Contributing: Mary Walrath-Holdridge and Thao Nguyen
Natalie Neysa Alund is a senior reporter for USA TODAY. Reach her at [email protected] and follow her on X @nataliealund.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Nursing students at Florida university contract measles
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