Dakota County in Minnesota is reporting three new measles cases, bringing the state’s total number this year to 20.
The Minnesota Department of Health says each of the new cases involves unvaccinated children who likely caught measles from an unvaccinated adult.
When you look at Minnesota’s overall cases, most are unvaccinated children who have not traveled, but have been in close contact with an adult family member who had. Eighteen out of the 20 measles cases are children, the health department reports.
“Twenty cases is more than we would like to see in Minnesota,” said Jessica Hancock-Allen, director of infectious disease for the health department.
And health officials anticipate there will be more, because more than 1,500 people have contracted the virus so far this year in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and vaccinations across the country are down.
“We are very, very concerned about measles. We have been working closely with our public health providers, our school providers,” said Hancock-Allen.
Minnesota health officials say measles starts out like any other viral infection, with a fever, cough, runny nose and watery eyes. About two or three days after those symptoms, people typically get a skin rash. And for children, it can be serious. About one in five kids are hospitalized when they have measles. In rare cases, it can be fatal.
“It can cause encephalitis or brain swelling. And it’s very, very uncomfortable,” said Hancock-Allen.
Just like the cold and flu, measles are passed through the air. But unlike those viruses, it can hang out for hours after an infected person leaves the room. Hancock-Allen says the best prevention is the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine.
“It is an extremely effective vaccine, so about 93% on the first dose and 97% effective on the second dose,” she said.
Cases fluctuate. Last year, there were 70 in Minnesota, but the year before, none were reported. For health officials, the goal is to keep that number as low as possible.
“It can make people very sick. Rarely, but it can have serious consequences. Very preventable by a highly, highly impactful vaccine,” said Hancock-Allen.
The CDC says nearly half of all measles cases in the U.S. this year were reported in Texas, three of which were fatal.
WCCO spoke last month with Stacene Maroushek, pediatric infectious disease specialist with Hennepin Healthcare, who blames the outbreaks of the disease — once thought to be eliminated more than two decades ago — on misinformation spread online, namely, that vaccines can cause autism.
“I think we as physicians need to do a better job of promoting all of the stuff that we actually know from a scientific standpoint, and good data, to a level that people can readily access and understand,” said Maroushek.
As of Friday, the Wisconsin Department of Health Services has reported 36 measles cases so far this year. All were unvaccinated.
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