Who needs a vaccine? Do I need a booster?

Measles, declared eradicated in the U.S. in 2000, is rising again. Florida’s recent cases have many wondering whether they are safe from the highly infectious disease.

Florida had recorded 10 measles cases in 2024 as of Thursday, according to the state Department of Health’s website. They include nine in Broward County children, mostly linked to local spread at Manatee Bay Elementary School in Weston, and one travel-related case in a Polk County adult.

Orlando Health treated four patients with measles in February at its Central Florida emergency departments, spokesperson Lisa Maria Garza said Thursday. But it’s unclear how many of those cases were reflected on the state website, if any.

AdventHealth Central Florida spokesperson Jeff Grainger declined to say how many measles cases the health system has seen regionally or statewide, referring questions to the health department, but he said AdventHealth has not treated any cases since the outbreak in Weston.

The state’s count does not include every instance where someone with measles was present in Florida. Out-of-state residents who caught the virus elsewhere but were treated here, for instance, are left out of the public tally, spokesperson Weesam Khoury said.

Here are some answers to commonly asked questions.

Q: I’ve already been vaccinated. Do I need a booster? A:

Short answer: no. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention considers people who received two doses of the measles vaccine as children as protected for life, with up to a 97% rate of protection against infection. The 3 in 100 vaccinated people who do catch measles are more likely to have a mild illness, the CDC reports.

Unvaccinated people are thought to have a 90% chance of catching the virus if exposed.