Campus Alert Archive
AMU

The Largest Recent College Measles Outbreak Begins With a Jan. 28 Email

FLdisease outbreakadvisorymedium confidence
Confirmed Threat

On January 28, 2026, Ave Maria University near Naples, Florida emailed students that measles had been detected on campus and reported the suspected cases to the Florida Department of Health. The outbreak grew into what the New York Times called the largest on a college campus in recent years, with dozens of cases on campus and more than 100 in the surrounding county before it spread beyond the university.

Alerts
2
Response
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Killed
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Injured
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Institution
Ave Maria University
Private Bachelors · FL
~1,500 studentsAMU Campus Health Update
Confirmed Timeline

Alert Sequence

2 messages in sequence

Some alert texts below are approximate reconstructions from news coverage, not confirmed verbatim transcripts. Reconstructed texts are shown in italic with a dashed border. Verified verbatim texts have a solid border and are marked accordingly.

INITIAL ALERTEmail
Approximate reconstruction343 chars
Campus Health Update: The University has become aware of suspected cases of measles on campus and has promptly reported them to the Florida Department of Health. Students who are unvaccinated or who have symptoms such as fever, cough, or rash should contact Student Health and avoid contact with others. Vaccination records are being reviewed.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed: AMU's Campus Health Update page and TODAY reported the Jan. 28 email's substance—suspected cases reported to the Florida DOH—but the verbatim email text was not published.
Classified as an advisory under the discretionary, non-Clery public-health notification framework rather than an emergency notification of immediate physical threat.
The university's own wording emphasized prompt reporting to the Florida Department of Health, the framing it later used on its public Campus Health Update page.
FOLLOW-UPEmail
Approximate reconstruction316 chars
Campus Health Update: The University continues to monitor measles activity in coordination with the Florida Department of Health. Free vaccination clinics are available on campus, and quarantine protocols remain in place for exposed and unvaccinated individuals. Please continue to report symptoms to Student Health.

This text has been reconstructed from news coverage and may not reflect the exact original wording.

Reconstructed: AMU's Campus Health Update page described ongoing monitoring, free DOH vaccination clinics, and quarantine protocols, but the verbatim follow-up email text was not published.
This is a follow-up, not an all-clear; the outbreak was still active and later spread into the surrounding community.
Free on-campus vaccination clinics run by the Florida Department of Health were a central mitigation step for a low-vaccination outbreak.
Context

Background

Ave Maria University, a small private Catholic college near Naples, Florida, emailed students on January 28, 2026 that measles had been detected on campus, and the university says it promptly reported the suspected cases to the Florida Department of Health. The outbreak became what the New York Times described as the largest on a U.S. college campus in recent years, with at least 66 confirmed and probable cases between January 1 and February 14, 2026, and more than 100 cases later reported countywide as it spread beyond the campus into the surrounding community. The university responded with quarantine protocols, free Florida DOH vaccination clinics, and a public Campus Health Update page. The case adds a disease-outbreak public-health notification at a small private institution—an underrepresented type—and shows how campus health alerts function as advisories rather than Clery emergency notifications.
Analysis

Key Findings

AMU first alerted students by email on Jan. 28, 2026 and reported suspected cases to the Florida DOH
The outbreak grew to dozens of campus cases and more than 100 countywide, the largest recent U.S. college measles outbreak
Public-health notices are advisories, distinct from Clery emergency notifications, even during a major outbreak
Mitigation centered on quarantine protocols and free on-campus Florida DOH vaccination clinics
Outcome
AMU reported suspected cases to the Florida Department of Health on Jan. 28, 2026, and stood up quarantine protocols and free DOH vaccination clinics. There were at least 66 confirmed and probable cases between Jan. 1 and Feb. 14, 2026; Collier County ultimately reached 106 total cases (the majority among people aged 15 to 24) before new cases stopped after March 28, 2026. No campus deaths were reported.
Provenance

Sources

  1. Official
    Campus Health Update - Ave Maria University
    avemaria.edu
  2. News
    Student Infected With Measles in Major University Outbreak Speaks Out - TODAY
    today.com
  3. News
    Ave Maria University battles measles outbreak - National Catholic Reporter
    ncronline.org
  4. News
    Measles Outbreak Spreads Beyond Ave Maria University - Naples Today
    nationaltoday.com
  5. News
    A measles outbreak in Florida is simmering — we went to investigate (CNN)
    cnn.com
  6. Source
    Campus measles outbreak grows in Florida (CIDRAP)
    cidrap.umn.edu
Tags
disease-outbreakpublic-healthadvisoryfloridameaslesprivate-catholicquarantine
Added May 2026Updated May 2026Via ingestion