ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — Measles cases are spiking nationwide according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The latest case identified in Tampa Bay is a student at St. Petersburg Catholic High School.
“We were just made aware that one of our sophomore students has a confirmed case of measles,” the letter provided to Spectrum News by the diocese reads. “The student in question has not been present at school since January 27th and we are unaware of any additional cases at this time.”
In addition to this case, information from the Florida Department of Health shows Hillsborough and Manatee Counties reported one case each in January.
“Unfortunately, it was only a matter of time,” said Dr. Patrick Mularoni, a pediatric emergency medicine physician at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. “We’re seeing a lot more vaccine hesitancy, and measles spreads very easily. So, those that are unvaccinated were bound to get it and spread it.”
Mularoni said it doesn’t start with that telltale rash. He said the earliest symptoms of measles can be a cough, runny nose, fever, and red eyes, and it can take seven to 10 days before a patient starts to fell sick. That gives the virus plenty of time to spread.
“Measles is very contagious. It’s more contagious than the common cold, and some sources say 10 out of ten people in a room with somebody with measles, if they’re not vaccinated, they’ll get it,” said Mularoni.
According to the CDC, when more than 95% of people in a community are vaccinated, herd immunity is achieved. Its data shows 88.8% of Florida kindergarteners were vaccinated in the 2024-25 school year. Nationwide, measles vaccination coverage has dropped from 95.2% in the 2019-2020 school year to 92.5% last school year. The CDC said that put 286,000 U.S. kindergarteners at risk.
Meanwhile, cases have jumped in the past year. While just one or two weekly cases were reported in early 2025, that increased to a high of 279 cases reported for the week of January 11 of this year.
The diocese said in its letter to parents, “While diocesan immunization policy allows for medical exemptions from a licensed physician, 99.2% of our student body is vaccinated against measles. Given the school’s high vaccination rate, we plan to continue all classes and activities as normal.”
Mularoni said the reemergence of measles may not just mean a learning curve for parents.
“The one thing about measles is it has very subtle symptoms, and most providers haven’t seen it. You know, we’ve been vaccinating for so long, and it’s been relatively well-contained in the United States. Many providers might not know it if they see it,” he said.
The diocese letter urged anyone with symptoms to stay home and see a doctor. Mularoni encouraged parents to call ahead before they do so. He said babies are usually vaccinated when they’re 12-15 months old, and it would be easy for unvaccinated babies to catch measles.
Sarah Blazonis
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