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Florida's Ave Maria University recently published an updated report regarding the on-campus measles outbreak. As of the afternoon of February 6, 2026, two students remain in the contagious period since their rash appeared and are currently in quarantine.
According to the university, "We have had one new case since February 4 and will continue to provide regular updates as they become available."
Local media sources and clinic reports indicate that at least 20 students have been diagnosed with measles, with the Mater Dei Clinic confirming 20 positive cases as of early February, and the last new positive case reported on February 2, 2026.
Some reports note an additional 14 cases pending testing in Collier County.
The university stated on its website, "We continue to provide care for all students regardless of test results and are closely monitoring the situation in coordination with the Florida Department of Health (DOH). To support routine student care, a second on-campus clinic has been established in addition to the Padre Pio Campus Health Clinic."
"We are deeply committed to the care, safety, and medical and spiritual support of every student."
The DOH is expected to release updated official statewide numbers on February 12, 2026.
The DOH notes that individuals with a prior history of measles infection or those who have received the full series of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) immunization are 98% protected and are unlikely to contract measles.
Notably, reports indicate that approximately 98% of Ave Maria University's student population is vaccinated against measles (exceeding CDC recommendations for herd immunity). Yet, the outbreak has occurred primarily among vaccinated individuals, highlighting that while highly effective, the vaccine is not 100% protective in all cases or large exposures.
Florida's overall kindergarten MMR vaccination rates are reported at around 88.8% for the 2024–2025 school year.
Individuals who may have been exposed, or who are interested in preventive options, may contact DOH-Collier. Pre and post-exposure options will be available for all ages, Monday through Friday, at the Naples and Immokalee locations.
As of February 9, 2026, following DOH guidance, campus operations continue uninterrupted, including in-person classes, Masses and confessions, dining services, and non-curricular activities. Ave Maria University remains dedicated to providing comprehensive support services to meet our students' health, academic, and spiritual needs.
The Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government, through its Travel Health Service under the Centre for Health Protection (CHP), has cautioned residents to exercise care regarding Dengue fever when traveling abroad this year.
The advisory emphasizes that the disease is endemic in over 100 countries, particularly in Southeast Asia and the Western Pacific—popular destinations for Hong Kong travelers.
In an update posted on February 5, 2026, the Travel Health Service reiterated that Dengue remains a persistent threat in many tropical and subtropical regions.
As of early 2026, there have been six reported imported cases of Dengue.
In 2025, Hong Kong recorded 59 imported Dengue cases.
The countries that contributed the most cases last year include the Philippines (12 cases), Indonesia (11 cases), India (9 cases), and Thailand (9 cases).
Notably, there were no local transmissions reported last year.
Regionally, Dengue remains a challenge. As per cumulative figures from 2025, with partial data from 2026, Indonesia reported 148,922 cases, with 403 recorded in early 2026; Vietnam had 184,903 cases in 2025; and India reported 120,729 cases during the last year.
Travelers returning from areas where Dengue is prevalent should seek medical attention promptly if they feel unwell and inform their doctors about their travel history. Additionally, CHP says those planning to travel to these regions should take the necessary precautions against this mosquito-borne disease.
Seperately, the U.S. CDC recently stated, 'it has identified a higher-than-expected number of Dengue cases among returning U.S. travelers from certain countries in recent months.'
As of early 2026, there is currently no locally registered Dengue vaccine available for general use in Hong Kong, according to the Centre for Health Protection and the Department of Health.
However, in nearby dengue-endemic countries that are popular with Hong Kong travelers, the second-generation vaccine QDENGA® is available in various settings, including private clinics, national programs, and public health initiatives.
In the United States, QDENGA is unavailable in 2026, but the first generation is available in Puerto Rico, where Dengue has become endemic.
Detailed information on the latest Dengue fever situation in Hong Kong, as well as neighbouring and overseas countries and areas, is available on the Centre for Health Protection's website.
The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) is urgently calling for coordinated action by Member States in Region #3 in response to a significant resurgence of measles in the Region of the Americas, including the United States.
While most Americans are focusing on measles outbreaks in Florida and South Carolina in February 2026, six countries are affected: Bolivia (10 cases), Canada (67 cases), Chile (1 case), Guatemala (41 cases), Mexico (740 cases), and Uruguay (1 case).
"Measles elimination in the Americas was a historic achievement, but recent events (in Canada and Mexico) demonstrate that this progress is fragile and can be reversed without consistently high vaccination coverage," stated the PAHO Director in a report issued on February 3, 2026.
"Coordinated action now can save lives, prevent further outbreaks, and ensure the health security of the region."
The PAHO emphasizes that measles is a highly contagious yet entirely preventable disease through vaccination. The current surge in cases highlights significant gaps in routine immunization.
To alert international travelers to this serious health risk in 2026, the U.S. CDC continues to issue a Level 1 Travel Health Notice, which identifies numerious countries facing measles outbreaks.
The dramatic increase in cases during 2025 and into early 2026 serves as a warning sign of vulnerabilities in vaccination coverage, says the PAHO.
As of February 7, 2026, measles vaccination services are offered to international travelers at local clinics.
Over the past two decades, coronaviruses (CoV) have caused three significant disease outbreaks: severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), and coronavirus disease 2019.
Diseases such as MERS continue to cause severe outcomes. There have been a total of 19 MERS-CoV cases reported worldwide since the beginning of 2025, including four fatalities.
To address these diseases with a single vaccine, a candidate designed to provide broad protection against coronaviruses has entered clinical testing.
The vaccine, named GBP511, is built on a self-assembling nanoparticle technology developed by researchers at UW Medicine and the Institute for Protein Design. The South Korean pharmaceutical company SK bioscience is conducting human clinical trials for this vaccine.
GBP511 builds on technology validated through SKYCovione, a vaccine that became the world's first computer-designed medicine to achieve regulatory approval.
In preclinical studies, GBP511 has shown the ability to protect animals from related viruses not directly targeted by the vaccine.
"The beauty of this approach is that by presenting the immune system with multiple related antigens at once, we can train it to recognize features that are conserved across the entire sarbecovirus family," explained David Veesler, a professor of biochemistry at UW Medicine and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, who led the preclinical studies, in a press release on February 3, 2026.
He added, "That's exactly what you need to prepare for unpredictable future threats."
The international Phase 1/2 trial began enrolling participants in January 2026 and will assess safety and immune responses in approximately 368 healthy adults in Perth, Western Australia. The study's results are expected by 2028.
The Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations has supported the GBP511 program with approximately $65 million in funding.
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of Bangladesh, in collaboration with the World Health Organization (WHO), announced today a laboratory-confirmed case of Nipah virus (NiV) infection in the Rajshahi Division of northwestern Bangladesh.
As of February 3, 2026, a middle-aged woman from Naogaon District had been experiencing symptoms including fever, headache, muscle cramps, loss of appetite, weakness, and vomiting since late January 2026, when the NiV infection was confirmed. The patient had no travel history outside the area but reported repeatedly consuming raw date palm sap in early January 2026, a known transmission route for the virus due to contamination from fruit bats.
On February 6, 2026, the WHO stated that there are currently no specific treatments or vaccines approved for Nipah, making prevention through public awareness and good hygiene practices essential.
Fortunately, NiV vaccine candidates are being tested in clinical research in 2026.
Since 1998, NiV outbreaks across Bangladesh, India, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore experienced very high fatality rates, ranging from 40% to 75%.
Furthermore, the WHO assessed the overall public health risk posed by this NiV event as low at the national, regional, and global levels. The risk of international disease spread is also considered low, and no travel or trade restrictions are recommended.
An unexpected measles outbreak at Ave Maria University in Collier County, Florida, has intensified, with at least 20 students now confirmed to have contracted the highly contagious viral infection.
As of February 6, 2026, three of these Florida students have been hospitalized due to complications from the illness.
Located northeast of Naples, the school officials stated on their website that they continue to provide care for all students, regardless of test results, and are closely monitoring the situation. In addition to the Padre Pio Campus Health Clinic, a second on-campus clinic has been established to support routine student care.
This outbreak represents the first significant measles activity in Collier County in nearly a decade, as there have been no reported cases during that time.
Alarmingly, university officials have noted that approximately 98% of the student population is vaccinated against measles, which exceeds the U.S. CDC recommendations.
The CDC reports data from 2025-2026, indicating that about 3% to 4% of total reported breakthrough measles cases in the U.S. occurred among people who had received 2 doses.
According to the Florida Department of Health (DOH), there were around 10 confirmed measles cases in southeast Florida (Broward County) in early 2024.
As of early February, the Florida DOH in Collier County is providing additional resources to monitor for suspected measles cases and to minimize further transmission.
Unfortunately, in a potentially related matter, further north in Florida, the administration of St. Petersburg Catholic High School confirmed on Friday, February 4, 2026, that a student has a confirmed case of measles.
The DOH says measles vaccination services are offered at public and commercial locations throughout Florida.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is continuing to monitor elevated levels of seasonal influenza activity across the nation, as detailed in the FluView surveillance report #4.
The CDC's in-season severity assessment framework classified the 2025-2026 flu season as moderate across all ages.
As of February 6, 2026, the CDC reports that influenza activity remains high nationally, although some areas are seeing stabilization or a decline in flu cases.
Most regions are reporting stable or decreasing overall flu activity.
However, influenza activity is still on the rise, with high infection rates driven by an influenza A(H3N2) strain in HHS Region 10, which includes the Pacific Northwest states: Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.
The CDC emphasizes that getting vaccinated is a crucial preventive measure, even late in the current flu season, as it significantly reduces the risk of severe illness, hospitalization, and death.
The CDC strongly advises those who have not yet been vaccinated to do so as soon as possible. Various flu vaccines are still available at local clinics throughout the USA.
Approximately 134 million doses of influenza vaccine have been distributed in the United States this season.
For the most up-to-date information, including interactive maps and detailed regional data, please visit the CDC's FluView portal at cdc.gov/fluview.
