A case of measles has been detected in Florida for the first time in 2025.

One student at Palmetto Senior High School tested positive for the disease, according to local sources and Miami-Dade County Public Schools.

Superintendent Dr. Jose Dotres addressed the measles case in a news conference on Thursday, noting that the vaccine rate at the school is 99.7%.



Florida Surgeon General Dr. Joseph Ladapo is shown at a press conference. (Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)

"Everything is very stable," he stated. "We have no other incident regarding the measles at this point."



Dr. Joseph Ladapo, Florida's surgeon general, at a press conference. (Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Amid remarks on a variety of topics, Ladapo acknowledged that measles is "extremely contagious." He said "it's one of the most contagious diseases around" — and confirmed that the Florida Department of Health has been in communication with the school about the case.

"We’ve provided information about options that parents have," he said.





A measles information sheet is seen posted at the Orange County Health Department on May 6, 2019, in Orlando, Florida. (Paul Hennessy/NurPhoto via Getty Images)

Ladapo also mentioned using vitamin A as a treatment for measles for some people, as suggested recently by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., which has proven effective in some research.

While this option can work for people who are deficient in vitamin A, according to experts, vaccination is the only way to prevent measles, as vitamin A is not an alternative.



Neil Maniar, PhD, MPH, professor of public health practice at Northeastern University, stressed that the MMR vaccine is the "most powerful tool" in preventing and controlling outbreaks.



Dr. Daniel Kuritzkes, chief of the Division of Infectious Diseases at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, told Fox News Digital that inappropriate dosing of vitamin A can result in toxicity and a condition known as hypervitaminosis.

"Thus, people should not be administering generic vitamin A supplements purchased at a pharmacy or health food store to their children," he said.









Fox News Digital reached out to Dr. Joseph Ladapo, Miami-Dade Public Schools, Palmetto Senior High School and the Florida Department of Health for further comment.
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