Measles Cases During Spring Break Travel
Measles cases in the U.S. are climbing and we’re heading into the busy spring break season in Central Florida. Millions of people will use Orlando International Airport, and MCO reports that this Saturday is expected to be the busiest travel day of the spring break travel period when some 200,000 people will move through the terminals. Cases of measles are rising in outbreaks happening in Texas and New Mexico and two people died from the disease. Last week, Florida confirmed its first case of the year. A student tested positive at a high school in Miami-Dade public schools. Measles is highly contagious and can cause severe illness including pneumonia or encephalitis in rare cases where swelling of the brain can lead to permanent damage, blindness, and hearing loss. Many doctors are fighting misinformation about the highly contagious virus and are working to inform people that the MMR vaccine is the most effective way to prevent infections. Chad Neilsen, Director of Infection Prevention for Nemours Children’s Health Florida, joins Engage to discuss the epidemiology of measles.
The CDC reports most of the 222 cases reported as of March 13, 2025, are among children who did not get the MMR vaccine. Dr. Candice Jones is an Orlando Pediatrician with Orange Blossom Family Health. She joins Engage to answer some of the questions she’s getting from her patient’s families.
At this point there are no confirmed cases of measles in Central Florida. Engage reached out to local school districts to see how they monitor for cases and proceed if there is one. We received the following information from Polk County Public Schools media relations staff:
"PCPS works closely with the Florida Department of Health in Polk County. Any case of measles is reported to the state by the child’s medical provider. The DOH’s epidemiology department monitors all reports of measles and would notify the school if a case was identified. That said, if a school was made aware of a potential case, and the DOH had not already reached out to them, the school would reach out to our RNs, who would follow up with the DOH. At that point, the DOH would investigate the veracity of the information. If a case was identified, the DOH and our superintendent would decide the best course of action for the school(s) affected."
We want to hear from you. Did you contract measles as a youth? Were you spared via vaccines? Are you vaccinating your children or are you skeptical about their safety and efficacy? Share with us at Engage@cfpublic.org.
Fourth Trimester Care for Families
Pregnancy is typically divided into trimesters. A new AdventHealth for Women program focuses on the fourth trimester, meaning the twelve weeks after delivery. Coordinators work with mothers enrolled in the initiative before they leave the hospital on taking care of themselves once they get home. This program to strengthen postpartum care was formed in response to a trend. Hospital data showed higher readmission rates for Black and African American mothers following C-section delivery compared to white mothers, and postpartum high blood pressure was the leading cause for readmission. Adventhealth for Women’s Fourth Trimester program empowered Eliza Gordon with the knowledge and tools to recognize that there was something seriously wrong with her health and she needed to return to the hospital. It happened shortly after she brought her third child, a little girl named Trinity, to their home in DeLand. Gordon joins Engage to discuss the role of the Fourth Trimester program in her family’s well-being.
Gordon connected with Erike King, a Care Coordinator for AdventHealth for Women’s Fourth Trimester Program. King works one-on-one with moms, ensuring they get the post-partum care needed. She also educates them about managing high blood pressure and other health concerns. King joins Engage to discuss her commitment to reducing maternal morbidity rates.
AdventHealth for Women is already expanding this program. They found that since its inception, there has been a 20% reduction in readmissions for Black mothers who had C-sections. The program tackles the racial and ethnic disparities that exist in maternal morbidity and mortality in the U.S. The National Institutes of Health reports that compared to white women, Black women are three to four times more likely to die from complications during pregnancy or the year after. Dr. Rizwana Fareeduddin, Executive Medical Director for Women’s Services at AdventHealth for Women, joins Engage to discuss changing those statistics and the trends AdventHealth saw that compelled them to create this program.
Monster Jam’s First Black Driver
Monster trucks have fascinated both young and old since the 1970’s when watching oversized pickup trucks and SUV’s crush junked cars under their gigantic wheels was still a novelty. Today, professional monster truck drivers compete at the highest level in the Monster Jam league. Engage Senior Producer Richard Copeland stopped by Camping World Stadium earlier this month to meet Apopka resident Bari Musawwir who is Monster Jam’s first Black professional driver.
Correction: Engage previously identified Chad Neilsen as "Dr. Chad Neilsen." Neilsen is Nemours' Director of Infection Prevention, he is not an MD.
