Nearly a dozen new cases of measles have been reported this week to the Minnesota Department of Health, which includes one case involving a student at a Minneapolis school.
According to the department, the 10 new cases have been confirmed since Monday, Sept. 29, bringing the state’s total caseload for this year to 18.
The agency says all of the cases involve people who aren’t vaccinated and are tied to either domestic or international travel. Of the 10 new cases, seven are within families who had recently traveled within the United States. Those cases are related to three others that were reported last week.
Another three cases added this week involve people who traveled internationally.
A news release from Twin Cities International Schools says one of the new cases involves one of its students. School leaders are working with state health officials to make sure all other students, staff and community members are safe.
According to the school, parents and guardians have been given guidance from the health department, and staff are implementing “proactive measures to mitigate the situation.”
Leaders with the school and health agency say families will be updated as needed. No details about the student or how the student was exposed to the disease have been provided.
Measles, also known as rubeola, is caused by a virus and is extremely contagious. It can be spread through the air when anyone infected with the virus breathes and coughs. The state adds the virus can stay in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves.
Symptoms include a rash and fever, as well as a cough or runny nose, or watery eyes, according to health officials. Once you get measles, the agency says you’re immune.
Severe cases can cause a person to be hospitalized or even die.
Last year, there were a total of 70 reports of measles in Minnesota, while there were none in 2023. You can see case data going back to 2010 on the state’s website.
This year, there have been more than 1,500 cases of measles across the United States, and three people have died from the disease. The number of infections across the U.S. is the highest since 1992, according to data provided by Minnesota’s health department and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That year, there were more than 2,100 cases across the country.
If you need to report a case of measles, you can learn how to do so on the MDH’s website.
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