Health
Amid Florida measles outbreak, surgeon general lets parents decide whether to send unvaccinated kids to school
Amid measles outbreaks in various parts of the U.S., the Florida surgeon general has issued some guidance to parents regarding kids’ school attendance.
In a letter issued to parents on Friday, Dr. Joseph Ladapo said the Florida Department of Health (FDOH) “is deferring to parents or guardians to make decisions about school attendance.”
The letter comes in response to a cluster of measles cases identified at Manatee Bay Elementary in Weston, Florida.
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Typical guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is for unvaccinated children who have not had the measles to stay home for up to 21 days in the event of a potential exposure at school.
“However, due to the high immunity rate in the community, as well as the burden on families and educational cost of healthy children missing school, DOH is deferring to parents or guardians to make decisions about school attendance,” Ladapo’s letter stated.
A cluster of measles cases has been identified at Manatee Bay Elementary in Weston, Florida. (iStock)
“This recommendation may change as epidemiological investigations continue.”
People who have had the full series of the measles, mumps, rubella (MMR) immunization or who have had a prior infection are 98% protected against the highly contagious virus, the doctor noted.
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Those who do not have immunity have a 90% chance of contracting measles.
“If someone in your household contracts measles, all members of the household should consider themselves exposed and monitor symptoms,” Ladapo stated in the letter.
The doctor did recommend that students with symptoms should stay home from school.
Amid measles outbreaks in various parts of the U.S., Florida surgeon general Dr. Joseph Ladapo has issued guidance to parents regarding kids’ school attendance. He also said, “This recommendation may change as epidemiological investigations continue.” (Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images via AP)
Common signs and symptoms of measles include a rash on the face, neck and body; high fever; cough; runny nose; and red, watery eyes.
“All children presenting with symptoms of illness should not attend school until symptoms have fully subsided without medication,” Ladapo advised.
On the Florida Department of Health’s website, two doses of the MMR vaccine are listed among the vaccine requirements for children entering, attending or transferring to public and non-public schools for kindergarten through 12th grade.
“If someone in your household contracts measles, all members of the household should consider themselves exposed and monitor symptoms.”
Dr. Marc Siegel, clinical professor of medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center and a Fox News medical contributor, was not involved in the FDOH letter but offered his reaction to the guidance.
“The measles vaccine is almost 100% effective at preventing spread, especially if two shots are given,” he told Fox News Digital in a phone interview on Friday.
On the Florida Department of Health’s website, two doses of the MMR vaccine are listed among the vaccine requirements for children entering, attending or transferring to public and non-public schools for kindergarten through 12th grade. (iStock)
“At a time when there’s a resurgence of measles in the world and travel is not restricted, and people are coming into this country with measles, it’s extremely important that our children be vaccinated against it.”
The current measles outbreak is a time when “individual choice has to give way to public health and community preservation or safety,” Siegel said.
While some public health officials may have been “mistaken” about drawing that line with the COVID pandemic, that doesn’t automatically mean that it applies to every virus and vaccine, the doctor noted.
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“The problem here is that if kids start going to school unvaccinated against measles, given how contagious it is and how effective the vaccine is, they are putting other children at risk,” Siegel said.
Referring to measles as “the most contagious respiratory virus on the planet,” Siegel warned that an unvaccinated person has at least a 90% chance of catching the illness if they enter a room where measles was present up to two hours prior.
Common signs and symptoms of measles include a rash on the face, neck and body; high fever; cough; runny nose; and red, watery eyes. (iStock )
The doctor also warned of the severity of the disease, noting that one in five people with measles ends up in the hospital.
These dangers can be offset by the vaccine, Siegel said.
“This is a great vaccine — extremely important, very safe, tested for decades, and [it] prevents the spread of a dangerous virus that’s resurging right now.”
Siegel also said he disagrees with Ladapo’s guidance to not require unvaccinated children to stay at home.
Dr. Brett Osborn, a Florida neurosurgeon and longevity expert, also reviewed Ladapo’s guidance.
He said he disagrees with it as well.
“Measles is not COVID-19,” Osborn said in a statement to Fox News Digital. “In fact, measles is one of the leading vaccine-preventable causes of death.”
“While it is always the parents’ choice whether to vaccinate their children, decisions should be based on scientific fact.”
“Measles has been well-controlled by national vaccination campaigns, and we have walled off the disease, in essence, as we have polio.”
The doctor noted that “time-tested” vaccines — such as the MMR, oral polio and DTP — have low complication rates, “unlike the COVID vaccine.”
“The more people that are vaccinated, the greater the chances of acquiring a state of herd immunity,” Osborn said. “The fact that there has been an outbreak in an elementary school in Weston strongly suggests a lack of herd immunity.”
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“Sending unvaccinated children to school amid an outbreak — and inside of the transmissible period — is reckless,” he also said.
“While it is always the parents’ choice whether to vaccinate their children, and whether or not to expose them to the virus directly, decisions should be based on scientific fact.”
Dr. Marc Siegel, left, and Dr. Brett Osborn, right, offered their reactions to the Florida surgeon general’s guidance. (Dr. Marc Siegel; Dr. Brett Osborn)
Osborn hypothesized that the COVID pandemic may have contributed to overall vaccine reluctance.
“Unfortunately, as of the past several years — due to induced vaccine fear, the byproduct of a failed COVID-19 vaccine — vaccination rates generally have decreased,” Osborn said. “The result? Viral outbreaks. And measles won’t be the last.”
As of Friday, there have been 35 measles cases reported in U.S. states, including Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York City, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington, according to the CDC.
Fox News Digital reached out to Dr. Ladapo, the Florida Department of Health, the Florida Department of Education, and Attendance Works (a San Francisco-based national initiative that advocates for improved school attendance) requesting comment.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health.
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Feeling lonely may take a toll on older adults’ memory — but it may not speed up cognitive decline, according to a new study.
Researchers from Colombia, Spain and Sweden analyzed data from more than 10,000 adults ages 65 to 94 across 12 European countries and found those who reported higher levels of loneliness did worse on memory tests at the start of the study, according to research published this month in the journal Aging & Mental Health.
Over a seven-year period, however, memory decline occurred at a similar rate regardless of how lonely participants felt.
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“The finding that loneliness significantly impacted memory, but not the speed of decline in memory over time was a surprising outcome,” lead author Dr. Luis Carlos Venegas-Sanabria of the School of Medicine and Health Sciences at the Universidad del Rosario said in a statement.
Loneliness may be linked to memory performance in older adults, a new study suggests. (iStock)
“It suggests that loneliness may play a more prominent role in the initial state of memory than in its progressive decline,” Venegas-Sanabria said, adding that the findings highlight the importance of addressing loneliness as a factor in cognitive performance.
The findings add to debate about whether loneliness contributes to dementia risk. While loneliness and social isolation are often considered risk factors for cognitive decline, research results have been mixed.
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The study looked at data from the long-running Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), which tracked 10,217 older adults between 2012 and 2019. Participants were asked to recall words immediately and after a delay to measure memory performance.
Social isolation and loneliness could play a surprising role in cognitive health among seniors. (iStock)
Loneliness was assessed using three questions about how often participants felt isolated, left out or lacking companionship.
About 8% of participants reported high levels of loneliness at the outset. That group tended to be older, more likely to be female and more likely to have conditions such as depression.
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Researchers found that those with higher loneliness had lower scores on both immediate and delayed memory tests at baseline. Still, all groups — regardless of loneliness level — experienced similar declines in memory over time.
The results suggest loneliness may not directly accelerate the progression of memory loss, though it remains linked to poorer cognitive performance overall.
Researchers look at a brain scan at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. (Saul Loeb/AFP/Getty Images)
Experts warn, however, that the findings should not be interpreted to mean loneliness is harmless.
“The finding that lonely older adults start with worse memory but don’t decline faster is actually the most interesting part of the paper, and I think it’s easy to misread,” said Jordan Weiss, Ph.D., a scientific advisor and aging expert at Assisted Living Magazine and a professor at NYU Grossman School of Medicine.
“It likely means loneliness does its damage earlier in life, well before people show up in a study like this at 65-plus,” Weiss told Fox News Digital.
By older age, long-term social patterns may already be established, making it harder to detect when the effects of loneliness first took hold, an aging expert says. (iStock)
He suggested that by older age, long-term social patterns may already be established, making it harder to detect when the effects of loneliness first took hold.
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“By the time you’re measuring someone in their late 60s, decades of social connection patterns are already baked in,” he said.
Weiss, who was not involved in the research, added that loneliness may coincide with other health conditions, and noted that participants who felt more isolated also had higher rates of depression, high-blood pressure and diabetes. The link, he said, may reflect a cluster of health risks rather than a direct cause.
“While they can go hand-in-hand, it’s not clear that loneliness contributes to dementia,” a psychotherapist says. (iStock)
Amy Morin, a Florida-based psychotherapist and author, said the findings reflect a broader pattern in research on loneliness and brain health, and that the relationship may be more complex than it appears.
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“The evidence shows there’s a link between loneliness and cognitive decline but there’s no direct evidence of a cause and effect relationship,” she said. “So while they can go hand-in-hand, it’s not clear that loneliness contributes to dementia.”
Morin added that loneliness, which can fluctuate, may not be the root of the problem, but rather a symptom of other underlying mental or physical health issues.
Researchers suggested screening for loneliness be incorporated into routine cognitive assessments as one way to support healthy aging. (iStock)
She said staying socially and mentally engaged is crucial for overall brain health.
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“It’s important to be proactive about social activities,” Morin said. “Joining a book club, having coffee with a friend, or attending faith-based services can be a powerful way to maintain connections in older age.”
The researchers also suggested screening for loneliness be incorporated into routine cognitive assessments as one way to support healthy aging.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers for comment.
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Research continues to uncover new details on how fasting may help extend life.
A new study published in the journal Nature Communications investigated how intermittent fasting can boost longevity in small worms often used in aging research.
Researchers from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas compared worms that were fed normally to those that underwent a 24-hour fast in early adulthood and were then fed again, according to a press release.
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The scientists measured a variety of factors, including stored fat, gene activity related to fat metabolism and lifespan.
The results showed that the life-boosting benefit did not depend on the fasting itself but on the body’s behavior after eating again.
Experts say sustainability is key when choosing a long-term weight-loss strategy. (iStock)
Study lead Peter Douglas, associate professor of molecular biology and a member of the Hamon Center for Regenerative Science and Medicine at UT Southwestern, suggested that these discoveries “shift the focus toward a neglected side of the metabolic coin – the re-feeding phase.”
“Our data suggest that the health-promoting effects of intermittent fasting are not merely a product of the fast itself, but are dependent on how the metabolic machinery recalibrates during the subsequent transition back to a fed state,” he said.
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“Our findings bridge a gap between lipid metabolism and aging research,” he added. “By targeting aging, the single greatest risk factor for human disease, we move beyond treating isolated conditions toward a preventive model of medicine that enhances quality of life for all individuals.”
Lauri Wright, director of nutrition programs at the University of South Florida’s College of Public Health, called this a “high-quality” study that adds an “important nuance to how we think about fasting and longevity.”
Intermittent fasting typically involves limiting meals to an eight-hour daily window or fasting every other day. (iStock)
The benefits of the refeeding phase after fasting were “especially interesting,” Wright, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital.
“The researchers showed that longevity was linked to the body’s ability to turn off fat breakdown after fasting, allowing cells to restore energy balance,” she reiterated.
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“From a scientific standpoint, that’s a meaningful shift because it suggests fasting is not just about burning fat, but about metabolic flexibility.”
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Fasting may support longevity through triggering metabolic switching, enhancing cellular repair and stress resistance and improving markers like insulin sensitivity, research shows.
Limitations and cautions
Although this study provides “important insight” on the power of refeeding, Wright noted that the findings should be approached with caution, as the study was done on worms and cannot always be translated to humans.
“Additionally, it explains how a process might work in a controlled lab condition rather than real-world eating behaviors,” she added as a limitation. “Finally, the study is short-term and doesn’t give us the long-term translation on lifespan outcomes.”
The review found intermittent fasting was barely more effective than doing nothing, according to the study authors. (iStock)
Wright cautioned that fasting is “not a magic solution for longevity, and how you eat overall matters more than when you eat.”
“I advise, first and foremost, to focus on diet quality, including a variety of fruits and vegetables, healthy fats and minimally processed foods,” she said.
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For those who are considering fasting, it’s better to stick with a moderate plan — like a 12- to 14-hour overnight fast — rather than going to extremes, Wright said. After fasting, she recommends focusing on well-balanced meals.
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Several groups of people should be cautioned against fasting, according to Wright, including those with diabetes who are on insulin or hypoglycemic medications, those who are pregnant or breastfeeding, anyone with a history of eating disorders and older adults at risk of malnutrition.
Anyone considering intermittent fasting should consult with a doctor before starting.
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