{"id":157612,"date":"2026-02-16T21:02:16","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T21:02:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/157612\/"},"modified":"2026-02-16T21:02:16","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T21:02:16","slug":"measles-outbreak-hits-ave-maria-university-in-florida-with-40-cases","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/157612\/","title":{"rendered":"Measles outbreak hits Ave Maria University in Florida with 40+ cases"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!\n <\/p>\n

More than 40 measles cases<\/a> have been reported at Ave Maria University in southwest Florida, marking the largest outbreak on an American college campus in recent history.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The situation at the private Catholic college comes amid a broader national increase in measles cases, with 2,280 confirmed infections nationwide in 2025 and more than 900 cases reported so far in 2026.<\/p>\n

“Since the start of the semester, 48 nurse-assessed students have progressed beyond the contagious period and now have natural immunity,” Ave Maria University posted in an online update on Feb. 10.<\/p>\n

MEASLES OUTBREAK POSES RISK OF ‘IRREVERSIBLE’ BRAIN DAMAGE, HEALTH OFFICIALS WARN<\/a><\/p>\n

Several universities have reported measles activity this year. Clemson University and Anderson University in South Carolina<\/a> each reported single cases that led to the quarantine of a larger group of students.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The University of Florida also reported exposure in two specific classes at its Gainesville campus.<\/p>\n

\"arm <\/p>\n

Several universities have reported measles activity this year, but the scale at Ave Maria sets it apart from the others. (iStock)<\/p>\n

The Florida Department of Health (DOH) recently updated its data to show 46 confirmed measles cases across Collier County from Jan. 1 through Feb. 7, with the university serving as the primary site of the cluster.<\/p>\n

TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ<\/a><\/p>\n

The contagious period for measles includes the four days before and after a rash appears, according to the DOH.<\/p>\n

\"Ave <\/p>\n

More than 40 measles cases have been reported at Ave Maria University in southwest Florida, marking the largest outbreak on an American college campus in recent history.\u00a0 (Jeffrey Greenberg\/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)<\/p>\n

“All nurse-assessed students on campus within the four-day contagious period following the onset of a rash are in quarantine,” the university stated in the latest update.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES<\/a><\/p>\n

Ave Maria University requires proof of vaccination<\/a> but, in accordance with Florida law, allows students to opt out by signing a waiver for religious or personal reasons.<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER<\/a><\/p>\n

The “vast majority” of the campus community is vaccinated, according to university health updates. The school remains open for normal operations, including in-person classes and Mass.<\/p>\n

\"COllege <\/p>\n

The “vast majority” of the campus community is vaccinated, and the school remains open for normal operations, including in-person classes and Mass. (iStock)<\/p>\n

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP<\/a><\/p>\n

People with a history of infection<\/a> or who have received the full series of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) immunization are 98% protected and are unlikely to contract measles, according to the DOH.<\/p>\n

Khloe Quill is a lifestyle<\/a> production assistant with Fox News Digital. She and the lifestyle team cover a range of story topics including food and drink, travel, and health.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles! More than 40 measles cases have been reported at Ave…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":157613,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[28,30,29,571,64063,555,17196,75510],"class_list":{"0":"post-157612","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-florida","8":"tag-florida","9":"tag-florida-headlines","10":"tag-florida-news","11":"tag-health","12":"tag-infectious-disease","13":"tag-lifestyle","14":"tag-measles","15":"tag-viruses"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157612","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=157612"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/157612\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/157613"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=157612"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=157612"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=157612"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}