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Broward County measles case raises concerns

Posted at 5:55 PM, Apr 23, 2019
and last updated 2019-04-24 05:48:38-04

One confirmed case of measles in an adult in Broward County is raising concern with health officials as cases continue to grow in other states around the country.

RELATED: US inches closer to measles record, more than 600 cases reported

The Broward measles case is the only one in Florida so far in 2019.

"Unfortunately it is a concern for us in the health care profession and the population in general," says Dr. Chad Sanborn at Palm Beach Children’s Hospital.

"A typical cade can spread to up to 16 to 19 different people, it is very contagious," Dr. Sanborn says.

Much of the nationwide cases are being blamed on a movement by parents to refuse to vaccinate their children over concerns about the risks and side effects of the vaccine.

Parents held a rally on Tuesday at the state capitol against a bill that would allow the state to track individual vaccination decisions.

"The rally today was about privacy and it is about choice," says Ann Margo Cannon, spokesperson for the Florida Freedom Alliance..

"The bill was aiming to pave the way for parents to lose privacy and for the state to potentially open the door to other things down the road," Cannon says.