A city of nearly one million people that once went years without a single measles case now finds itself at the epicenter of a confirmed outbreak — and health officials in Jacksonville are growing increasingly alarmed as the case count refuses to stop climbing. By mid-February 2026, Duval County had recorded its sixth confirmed measles case, reaching a threshold that placed Jacksonville among the most active measles outbreak zones in the entire southeastern United States. Statewide, Florida had tallied 68 total measles cases at that point, with Duval County and Collier County — home to a large outbreak at Ave Maria University — leading the state. And unlike past Florida measles clusters that were primarily linked to international travel, experts say these current infections are spreading locally within communities that have let their guard down on vaccination.
The official outbreak declaration came quickly. Jacksonville Chief Health Officer Dr. Sunil Joshi confirmed in a letter to local hospitals, the Duval County Medical Society, and the North Florida Pediatric Society that five cases constituted an active outbreak — a declaration he made before the state of Florida had even publicly listed the fifth case on its online dashboard. That gap between what local officials knew and what the public was being told would become a recurring frustration throughout February 2026, with action news reporters obtaining direct communications from Dr. Joshi before the state updated its public numbers.
