LOCAL

Measles count rises to 3 on Florida’s Gulf Coast; vaccinate children

Associated Press
Measles vaccine

ST. PETERSBURG – Officials say two more cases of measles have been diagnosed in a Florida county where an unvaccinated child came down with the illness earlier this week.

The Florida Department of Health said Wednesday the two individuals live in the same household and also weren’t immunized. The first individual lives in a separate household.

The new cases bring the number of individuals with measles to three in Pinellas County, along Florida’s Gulf Coast.

Measles is a virus that is easily spread by air droplets when infected persons breathe, cough, or sneeze. The first symptoms are a high fever that may spike to 105 degrees, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes.

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Symptoms are followed by a blotchy rash.

Officials urged parents to vaccinate their children.

This story has been corrected to show that the two new cases are in a separate household from the first case.