The number of measles cases in Collier County ticked up again in early February, primarily due to the multiweek outbreak at Ave Maria University, according to the Florida Department of Health.
From Feb. 7 to 14, measles cases in Collier County jumped from 45 to 66, according to the department’s online Reportable Diseases Frequency Report. Statewide numbers increased from 67 to 92.
Ave Maria, a private Catholic school about an hour east of Naples, said it will continue to reference the health department dashboard for updates on case numbers in the county.
ALSO READ: Florida health department's updated measles numbers shy of Ave Maria report
When the university first notified students about the outbreak Jan. 28, its website provided cases numbers obtained through a student clinic.
Blaise Carney, a graduate student at the school, told WBBH-TV in Fort Myers that he was one of the first on campus to test positive.
“It started with an ear infection,” Carney said. “And then it proceeded with sniffles, sore throat and all the rest. And then I just progressively got worse, until I was in the ER and had a full-body rash.”
Carney, who said he received the measles (MMR) vaccine as a child, has recovered after quarantining in his dorm for the recommended 21 days.
ALSO READ: Measles is spreading across Florida. The state's updates lag more than a week
He said he was uncertain where he contracted measles but had traveled over winter break to Texas and Colorado, two of the states to report cases to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this year.
The state updates its disease dashboard each Thursday, publishing data through the prior week to allow time for verification.
The CDC said it had confirmed 982 cases nationally this year through Thursday.
Twenty-six states accounted for 976. In addition to Florida, Texas and Colorado, they are Arizona, California, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Kentucky, Maine, Minnesota, Nebraska, New York City, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington and Wisconsin.
Of the total cases, only 4% had received two doses of the MMR vaccine, according to the CDC.
A total of six cases were reported among international visitors to the United States.
