TAMPA, Fla. — Tampa Bay 28 anchor Lauren St. Germain covers medical news, and one of the biggest health stories right now is the measles.
Last week, one case was reported at St. Petersburg Catholic High School. There are now 54 confirmed measles cases at Ave Maria University near Naples.
WATCH: Florida pediatrician discusses MMR vaccine as measles cases rise nationwide
According to the CDC, as of February 5, there were 733 confirmed cases of measles in the U.S. in 2026. Of those cases, 95% were unvaccinated or had unknown vaccination status.
With this in mind, St. Germain wanted to learn more about the measles vaccine and spoke with Dr. Juan Dumois, a Pediatric Infectious Diseases Physician at John’s Hopkins All Children’s Hospital.
He said the MMR vaccine contains components that protect against three diseases: measles, mumps, and rubella.
“It contains a weakened formula of those viruses that does not give you the illness, but it triggers the immune system to generate protection against the illnesses should you get exposed later on,” explained Dr. Dumois.
According to the CDC, the MMR vaccination rate among Florida kindergarteners was 89% last year. Dr. Dumois said he recommends children get the vaccine.
“I recommend that children who haven’t received the vaccine get the vaccine, and even if a child is not vaccinated and you know they just got exposed to someone with the measles, you can still get protection if the vaccine is given within 3 days of that exposure,” said Dr. Dumois.
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