Florida Measles Outbreak: What Families Near Collier County Need to Know

Southwest Florida has become the center of one of the country's most significant measles outbreaks in years. As of late March 2026, Collier County health officials have confirmed at least 104 measles cases, with the cluster centered on Ave Maria, a planned Catholic community about 30 miles east of Naples.

If you live in or around Collier County, or if you have traveled through the area recently, here is what you need to know: how the outbreak started, why it has spread as far as it has, and what to do now.

How it started

Ave Maria was founded in 2005 as a faith-based community built around Ave Maria University. It is a tight-knit, close-quarters town with shared schools, churches, and common spaces. That kind of density is exactly how measles moves.

Florida health officials traced the outbreak to an unvaccinated individual. From there, the virus found fertile ground: a community where vaccination rates have fallen below the 95% threshold needed for herd immunity. When enough people in a shared space are susceptible, measles does not need much of a head start.

The key number: Measles requires about 95% of a population to be immune to stop spreading on its own. In Ave Maria and parts of Collier County, coverage has dropped well below that line.

Florida has seen a broader trend of declining vaccination rates, especially in communities where religious or philosophical exemptions are common. Ave Maria is a community where some families have chosen not to vaccinate, and when you cluster those families together in a school district, a church, or a neighborhood, the vulnerability compounds quickly.

Why 104 cases is a big number

For context: before 2019, the U.S. would typically see fewer than 200 measles cases in an entire year. The 2019 outbreak hit 1,274 cases total, most concentrated in a few communities in New York. Collier County alone is approaching that scale of concentration.

The national picture is even more stark. The CDC confirmed 1,487 measles cases across 31 states plus New York City as of March 19, 2026. That number is still climbing. CIDRAP and other public health observers have noted that if the outbreak continues at its current pace, the U.S. will likely lose its measles elimination status when officials assess the data in November 2026.

Elimination status, which the U.S. earned in 2000, means there is no continuous year-round transmission of the disease. Losing it is not just a symbolic setback. It signals to the rest of the world that the U.S. is no longer reliably controlling the disease, which affects international health agreements, travel advisories, and public health funding.

What to do if you live in or near Collier County

Check vaccination records first

The standard protection against measles is two doses of the MMR vaccine. The first dose is given at 12 to 15 months, the second at 4 to 6 years. If your child is on schedule and has had both doses, they are well protected.

If you are not sure, call your pediatrician and ask for the immunization record. Your state's immunization registry (Florida's is SHOTS) may also have records if you have changed providers.

Adults should not assume they are covered

People born before 1957 are generally considered immune from natural exposure. People born between 1957 and 1989 may have received only one dose of an older measles vaccine, or none at all. If you fall in that window and live or work in Collier County, it is worth checking with your doctor about your status. A measles IgG titer blood test can confirm immunity if records are unavailable.

Know the symptoms

Measles usually starts with three to five days of fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes. That early stage looks like a bad cold, which is part of why it spreads so easily before people realize what it is. The characteristic red blotchy rash appears later, starting on the face and moving downward.

If someone in your household develops those symptoms and you have a reason to suspect measles exposure, do not walk into a clinic or emergency room without calling first. Tell the staff what you suspect and ask for guidance on where to go. This protects infants and immunocompromised people in the waiting room who cannot be vaccinated.

If your child is too young to be vaccinated

Infants under 12 months cannot receive the standard MMR dose. They rely entirely on the immunity of the people around them. If you have an infant and you live in the affected area, the most direct thing you can do is make sure every eligible adult and older child in your household is current on MMR, and limit unnecessary exposure in large indoor gatherings while the outbreak is active.

Schools and exposure notifications

The Collier County School District and the Florida Department of Health have been issuing exposure notifications as the outbreak continues. If your child's school sends a notice, read it carefully. Health officials will typically list the dates and locations where exposure may have occurred, and they will tell you what to watch for and when to keep your child home.

Unvaccinated students may be required to stay home for up to 21 days after a known exposure, even if they do not show symptoms. That is the standard quarantine window for measles. Vaccinated students are generally allowed to remain in school unless they develop symptoms.

The broader picture

Ave Maria is not a fluke. It is what happens when vaccination rates fall in a close-knit community. The same conditions that made this outbreak possible exist in other pockets of Florida and across the country. Several states are now reporting cases, and transmission chains in Texas and other states have already produced outbreaks of similar or larger scale in 2026.

The national trajectory is not good. Public health experts have been warning for years that the erosion of herd immunity thresholds, combined with an increase in philosophical and religious vaccine exemptions, would eventually produce outbreaks like this one. The 2026 numbers are the result of those trends converging.

None of that is meant to be alarmist. Measles is serious, but it is also highly preventable for anyone who is vaccinated. The two-dose MMR series is safe, widely available, and covered by most insurance plans with no out-of-pocket cost under the Affordable Care Act.

The decision whether or not to vaccinate has never been purely personal, and Collier County right now is a clear example of why. When vaccination rates drop in a community, the people most at risk are the ones who have no choice: newborns, infants too young for the vaccine, and people with immune conditions who cannot receive live vaccines.

What to do right now

• Pull vaccination records for everyone in your household.
• Call your pediatrician or pharmacy if anyone is missing a dose. Same-day MMR appointments are often available.
• If you have an unvaccinated infant, make sure all adults and older kids in the home are up to date.
• Watch for symptoms: fever, cough, runny nose, red eyes, followed by a rash. Call before going in.
• Follow notices from the Collier County School District and the Florida Department of Health.

For the latest case counts and affected locations, check our outbreak map or the Florida Department of Health's measles page directly.

Sources

• CNN. Florida measles outbreak centered in Ave Maria community (March 23, 2026).
• CDC. Measles Cases and Outbreaks, 2026.
• CIDRAP. Measles news and coverage (CIDRAP).
• Florida Department of Health. Measles in Florida (FloridaHealth.gov).
• CDC. MMR Vaccination.
• CDC. About Measles.