GAINESVILLE, Fla. – The University of Florida is conducting contact tracing in two of its classes on campus for exposure to measles after two cases were reported.
UF vice president Joe Glover says two cases of measles have been reported in Alachua County, which is UF’s home county.
Glover said the Florida Department of Health is contacting students in those classes already, and people who have not been contacted have no reason to believe they were exposed.
The school is urging people who have not been vaccinated against measles to get vaccinated, citing CDC guidance that two doses of the vaccine are 97% effective at preventing the disease.
[WATCH: Florida’s 1st measles case in years raises concerns over declining vaccination rates]
The school is also urging people to watch for symptoms, like a rash or a high fever. Measles symptoms usually appear five to 14 days after virus exposure. The school also wants people who think they have the measles to avoid contact with other people, and do not visit a doctor or a hospital without letting them know ahead of time.
According to Florida’s Reportable Diseases Frequency Report, there were 15 cases of measles in the state between Jan. 1 and Jan. 31.
[WATCH: Former U.S. surgeon general under George HW Bush defends vaccine safety and efficacy]
The report only lists one case in Alachua County, which was acquired outside the United States. That means the second case that UF is reporting is new.
Duval and Collier counties each have four cases of measles.
Broward, Hillsborough, Lee, Manatee, Miami-Dade and St. Johns counties all each have reported one case of the measles.
All of the patients are under the age of 30.
The Florida Health Department reports two of the cases were acquired outside the United States. Nine of the cases were acquired in Florida. It’s unknown how the remaining four cases were acquired.