Illness-tracking data in Florida is on the market once more, permitting residents to find out about outbreaks of their county as soon as extra.
Florida Division of Well being surveillance information, which beforehand made public the variety of present instances of every vaccine-preventable illness by county, had been eliminated from the state web site for a number of months. The removing, disclosed earlier this month by the South Florida Solar Sentinel, got here shortly after a measles case was reported in Miami in March. Measles is among the many most contagious ailments on this planet, and case counts in america are spiking with greater than 1,000 reported in 2025.
Florida’s chart, which incorporates present traits for communicable ailments, has lengthy been relied upon by epidemiologists and medical professionals for monitoring functions. It consists of up-to-date data on outbreaks in Florida, comparable to measles, mpox and Hepatitis A.
Division of Well being spokeswoman Isabel Kilman didn’t reply to the South Florida Solar Sentinel’s a number of requests for a proof of why the chart had been eliminated, however she advised the Tallahassee Democrat that the web site was present process an improve. It doesn’t seem that any capabilities of the chart have modified.
Listed below are some key monitoring factors the chart now reveals about vaccine preventable ailments:
- A little one in Broward County lower than 4 years previous contracted measles in April, marking the second case in South Florida in two months. The kid acquired the illness outdoors of the U.S.
- Broward leads the state in new instances of mpox (previously referred to as monkeypox). 13 instances of mpox have been reported in Florida thus far this yr, three in Broward County. In 2022, Florida was a part of a nationwide outbreak of monkeypox.
- 14 instances of leprosy (Hansen’s Illness) have been reported in Florida in 2025. In August 2023, the Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention warned vacationers that leprosy instances in Florida had been surging. On the time, Florida was among the many high reporting states with almost 30 instances. The BCG vaccine, whereas primarily for TB, can provide some safety in opposition to leprosy, significantly if somebody within the family has leprosy.
- The state has been grappling with a large rise in pertussis (whooping cough). There have been 614 instances reported in Florida since January. To this point in 2025, the CDC has reported over 8,000 instances of whooping cough, a greater than two-fold enhance from the identical time final yr. The CDC recommends whooping cough vaccines for individuals of all ages.
- Already in 2025, 63 instances of Hepatitis A have been reported within the state. Florida has grappled with a selection of Hepatitis A for a number of years, predating the pandemic. In 2019, Florida skilled a statewide outbreak with greater than 2,000 instances reported.
Dr. Aileen Marty, a professor at Florida Worldwide College and an skilled in infectious illness and catastrophe medication, stated surveillance performs an important function in public well being.
“It’s necessary for clinicians and households to know when one thing is spreading for which we’ve got a prevention,” stated Marty, with Florida Worldwide College’s Herbert Wertheim Faculty of Drugs. “Having good and well timed data makes an enormous distinction in diagnosing a case earlier and serving to mother and father make choices or take motion.”
Monitoring illness unfold has turn into extra vital as vaccination charges have dropped. Based on the U.S. Facilities for Illness Management, solely 88.1% of kindergartners in Florida had been vaccinated in opposition to measles within the 2023-2024 college yr. Herd immunity for measles requires a 95% vaccination fee. Florida’s fee is without doubt one of the lowest within the nation.
Florida’s pediatricians say that real-time surveillance helps them information mother and father in making knowledgeable choices about vaccination.
“We find yourself taking part in catch-up after a toddler contracts a vaccine-preventable sickness, after which we begin who else is weak and begin providing vaccines,” stated Jennifer Takagishi, professor of pediatrics and division chief of Common Educational Pediatrics on the College of South Florida.
Florida’s surveillance chart tracks near 100 ailments, indicating the age vary, county, analysis standing and whether or not the particular person acquired the illness inside Florida, contained in the U.S. or outdoors the U.S.
Solar Sentinel well being reporter Cindy Goodman could be reached at cgoodman@sunsentinel.com.
