Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. Credit: Photo via Shutterstock

Measles, a disease that was considered eradicated in the United States 25 years ago, is making a roaring comeback thanks to parents choosing not to vaccinate their kids, and now a case has officially been confirmed in a Florida school.

According WFOR, Miami Palmetto Senior High School in Pinecrest sent an email to parents warning that an unidentified student had been diagnosed with measles, adding that the risk of transmission for vaccinated students is low.

“We want to inform you that a student at Miami Palmetto Senior High has been diagnosed with measles,” reads the email. “While the risk of transmission may be low for vaccinated individuals, we are taking all necessary precautions while working closely with local health authorities to ensure the health and safety of our school community. As part of the District’s and local health department’s protocols, the local health department will notify parents and guardians of students who had close contact with the student.”

The schools says it will host a free vaccination drive on March 10, with parental consent.

The measles case, which is the first reported in the state of Florida this year, comes after cases have rapidly spread across Texas since January. So far, 159 people have been diagnosed in Texas, 20 of those patients have been hospitalized, and most cases are in children aged 5-17 years old. One of the cases involved the death of unvaccinated six-year-old, which was a first in over a decade.

In an essay published on Fox News on Sunday, Health Secretary and notorious anti-vaccine peddler Robert F. Kennedy Jr. seemed to backpedal on previous statements about the recent measles outbreak, calling it “serious” after previously describing it as “not unusual.”

Most notably, the man whose brain was literally eaten by a worm, encouraged parents to discuss vaccinations with their doctors, noting that vaccines “not only protect individual children from measles, but also contribute to community immunity, protecting those who are unable to be vaccinated due to medical reasons.”

According to the Centers of Disease Control, measles is highly contagious and if one person is infected “up to 9 out of 10 people nearby will become infected if they are not protected.”

“Measles can cause serious health complications, especially in children younger than 5 years of age,” says the CDC. “Common complications are ear infections and diarrhea. Serious complications include pneumonia and encephalitis.”

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