Measles outbreak at Ave Maria University prompts local vaccine response

AVE MARIA, Fla.—The Immokalee Fire Control District in Ave Maria has teamed up with the Florida Department of Health to provide free MMR vaccines to the community on Tuesdays and Fridays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The initiative aims to combat the rising number of measles cases in the area.

The latest numbers from Ave Maria University report 57 cases linked to the campus, with seven students currently in quarantine. The Florida Department of Health has confirmed 46 measles cases in Collier County from January 1 through February 7.

"I started to get a little rash, and then I started to get a sore throat, a cough," said one unvaccinated student who noticed symptoms before testing positive.

Deputy Chief of Operations Thomas Cunningham explained the fire district's role in the vaccination effort.

"You know, there's two things that the fire district's good at, and that's Incident Management and solving problems. And we're managing an incident by partnering with our community partners and getting these immunizations out there for people that wish to have them," said Cunningham.

Ave Maria University says it will rely on the Florida Department of Health website for weekly updates on official measles case numbers in Collier County.