Four measles cases reported in Broward County school. What about Palm Beach County?

Health Department leaders in Broward County have confirmed multiple cases of measles, a highly contagious viral infection considered eliminated in the U.S. that often leads to a rash, fever and cough.

Measles can be especially dangerous and even deadly for young children and babies and is easily preventable by a vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Broward County Schools confirmed the first case on Friday in a third grader who had no history of traveling, the Sun Sentinel reported. On Saturday, officials at the Florida Department of Health announced it was investigating more cases but did not say whether the cases involved students, teachers or school staff.

As of Sunday morning, the Health Department did not have any reported cases of measles in Palm Beach County, according to its online reportable diseases database.

The database report shows three cases of measles have been reported in South Florida since the start of the school year on Aug. 10: two in Broward County and one in Miami-Dade.

The database was last updated on Sunday and doesn't appear to include all of the cases being investigated in Broward. On Saturday, the Broward County School District said in a news release that four students were being treated for measles, the Sun Sentinel reported.

Here's what to know about measles and the cases in Broward County:

What is measles?

Measles is a viral infection that usually causes a high fever, cough, runny nose, and watery eyes between seven and 14 days after the person comes in contact with the virus.

Three to five days after symptoms begin, a rash usually breaks out. It often begins as flat red spots that appear on the face at the hairline and spread downward to the neck, trunk, arms, legs and feet, according to the CDC.

When the rash appears, a person’s fever may spike to more than 104°.

Measles spreads through the air when an infected person coughs or sneezes. It is so contagious that if one person has it, up to nine out of 10 people around that person will also become infected if they are not vaccinated, according to the CDC.

How serious is measles?

Measles is especially dangerous for children under 5 years old, babies, pregnant people or people with HIV.

About one in five people who get the infection and are unvaccinated for measles are hospitalized, according to the CDC.

Severe complications from measles include pneumonia, swelling of the brain (encephalitis), pregnancy complications and death.

As many as 1 out of every 20 children with measles gets pneumonia, the most common cause of death from measles in young children, according to the CDC.

Where were the measles cases reported in Broward County?

All four confirmed cases of measles have been reported at Manatee Bay Elementary School in Weston.

Measles has a long incubation time: Symptoms usually appear one to two weeks after a person is first exposed to the virus.

Is there a vaccine for measles?

Measles is completely preventable if a child receives the MMR vaccine.

The vaccine protects against three diseases: measles, mumps and rubella. The CDC recommends children get two doses of MMR vaccine, starting with the first dose when they are 12 to 15 months old, and the second dose between 4 and 6 years old.

Measles has been considered an "eliminated" virus in the U.S. since 2000.

The World Health Organization classifies a virus as eliminated from a country after there is no transmission within that country for at least 12 months. Elimination is different from eradication, which means a disease or virus has been wiped out worldwide.

"While we expect importations of measles cases into the United States to continue, the risk for measles for the majority of the population would still remain low. That is because most people in the United States are vaccinated against measles," the CDC website says.

Can you get measles if you're vaccinated?

Those that have received the full series of the MMR immunization are 98% protected and are highly unlikely to contract measles, according to the Florida Department of Health.

What to do if your child shows symptoms of measles

If you suspect or notice any symptoms of measles, contact your health care provider to receive instructions on how to safely seek medical attention without exposing other patients.

Do not abruptly visit the Health Department or your health care provider without contacting them ahead of time.

Katherine Kokal is a journalist covering education at The Palm Beach Post. You can reach her at kkokal@pbpost.com. Help support our work, subscribe today!

This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Measles cases in Broward school: What's happening in South Florida?