Measles Cases Spread on Campuses

Measles cases are sweeping several U.S. campuses as the contagious virus spreads across the country.

In Florida, five students at Ave Maria University presented with rashes and have been quarantined, according to the latest update on the university’s website. Since the start of the semester, nurses have identified the virus in 49 students, who have all progressed beyond the contagious period. The outbreak comes despite the fact that 98 percent of Ave Maria students have received the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, university officials said, surpassing the 95 percent recommended by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for herd immunity.

Jennifer Walsh, assistant professor at George Washington University’s School of Nursing and a pediatric nurse practitioner in primary care, said two doses of the MMR vaccine are 97 percent effective for lifelong protection against measles, so rare breakthrough cases can occur, but herd immunity remains the best bet for safety.

Prior to 1989, only one vaccine was standard, and people vaccinated between 1963 and 1967 may have received a less effective version of the vaccine, Harvard Health Publishing reported. So some older faculty and staff members may be at a higher risk of infection without a booster.

Ave Maria continued in-person classes, in line with guidance from the Florida Department of Health, but opened a second health clinic to respond to the strain on campus health-care services.

“We are grateful that the number of active cases continues to decline at this time; however, we remain vigilant and prepared to respond to new cases,” the update read. “We are fully committed to the health, safety, and well-being of our students and campus community.”

The University of Florida also confirmed in a message to students on Thursday that the Florida Department of Health is conducting contact tracing for two classes after two cases of measles were identified in Alchua County, where the campus is located. University officials told Inside Higher Ed via email that there were no further updates.

A student at the University of Wisconsin at Madison also tested positive for measles last week; an update from the university on Friday confirmed that the student was no longer contagious and provided a list of times and places, both on and off campus, “where they may have inadvertently exposed others to measles.” The university called for exposed unvaccinated students to quarantine for three weeks in accordance with local public health guidance.

Clemson University also put out a memo last month that said an “individual affiliated with the University” had a confirmed case of measles and went into isolation. The university promised that the South Carolina Department of Public Health would contact anyone potentially exposed and reassured those on campus that 98 percent of Clemson students have proof of immunity.

Walsh said campuses are particularly at risk for measles outbreaks because students live and study in close quarters. She noted that only 23 states require MMR vaccines to attend college.

“Any time you have a lot of people living, working together—colleges, schools, prisons, military barracks—that can be a real hot spot for infection, particularly something as contagious as measles,” she said.

The Bigger Picture

Measles cases on campuses mirror the spread of infections nationwide.

Less than two months into the new year, the CDC has already reported 733 confirmed measles cases in 20 different states. Meanwhile, vaccination rates have been on the decline. The CDC recorded more than 2,000 cases last year, mostly among people who were unvaccinated or whose vaccination status was unknown. The United States declared measles eradicated in 2000, but that’s now in question.

Vaccine hesitancy and refusal “has kind of led us to this, unfortunately,” Walsh said. She emphasized that outbreaks of such a “highly transmissible” disease are an “extremely serious concern.”

“If someone walks into a room of 100 people that are partially or not vaccinated [against] measles, 90 of those people will come down with the disease,” Walsh said. One in 10 measles cases ends up in the hospital, and three out of 10 cases have complications, which can include long-term effects such as brain damage, seizures and hearing loss.

Even Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., a vaccine skeptic who recently put out a controversial, more limited set of vaccine recommendations, has encouraged Americans to get the MMR vaccine.

“The most effective way to prevent the spread of measles is the MMR vaccine,” Kennedy posted on X last year.

Mehmet Oz, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services administrator, similarly urged Americans to protect themselves.

“Take the vaccine, please,” Oz said in a recent interview on CNN’s State of the Union. “We have a solution for our problem. Not all illnesses are equally dangerous, and not all people equally susceptible to those illnesses, but measles is one you should get your vaccine.”

The American College Health Association put out guidance to its member institutions on Tuesday, urging them to prepare for possible measles cases and outbreaks by making sure they have a point of contact at their local health department, ensuring their policies align with the department’s guidance, promoting and making MMR vaccines available, keeping careful vaccination records, and identifying space on campus where they can quarantine affected students.

“When you’ve got an outbreak that picks up, like on these college campuses, the goal is really to stop that spread as quickly as possible,” Walsh said.