FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. — Three additional measles cases were reported in South Florida in April as the state, for two consecutive months, ranks fourth in the U.S. for the highest number of cases this year.

As of April 25, the latest data available, there have been a total of 149 measles cases in the state since Jan. 1, Florida Department of Health data shows. The majority of the cases have been recorded in Collier County, with 107, where an outbreak began earlier this year at Ave Maria University.

Broward County recorded two new measles cases, both in children younger than age 4. In total this year, five cases have been confirmed in Broward. Palm Beach County in April recorded its first case of the year in a person between the ages of 15 and 19, the DOH data shows.

The one confirmed case in Palm Beach County was at Wellington Community High School, WPEC-Ch. 12 reported.

Only two other counties reported new cases in April: one in Collier and one in Hillsborough.

Three states have higher total numbers of cases than Florida, with South Carolina seeing the most at 668, followed by Utah and Texas, according to the most recent U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention data, which was updated April 24.

Overall, month by month in Florida, the total number of cases has declined dramatically since February, when 105 cases were recorded across the state. In February, the state ranked third in the country.

Measles is one of the most contagious viruses and can result in serious health complications for children younger than age 5.

The disease was declared eliminated in the U.S. more than two decades ago due to a high percentage of the population receiving the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, the CDC’s guidance says, but vaccine coverage among kindergarteners has decreased to below the 95% coverage threshold, with some communities at much lower percentages. Measles activity globally is also increasing, leading to higher potential for unvaccinated people to become infected while abroad.

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