Measles Outbreak Worsening In Minnesota

(KNSI) – The Minnesota Department of Health is sounding the alarm on a surge in measles cases among the Muslim community in the Twin Cities.

It is urging people to get vaccinated and says the disease has been circulating throughout the state since May 30th. Officials point out a change in trend in late July, noting the outbreak has taken off over the past month. The agency says 36 cases have been confirmed, the most since 2017, when 75 were recorded.

Only one adult case has been logged. The rest have affected children between seven months and ten years old. Roughly a third of the infections have led to hospitalization.

Measles is extremely contagious. It spreads through the air when a person coughs or sneezes. You could be a carrier even before symptoms show.

Officials recommend the measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR, vaccine. It has been available for over five decades and is taken in two doses. The first just after a child turns one and the next between four and six years old.

Policy says anyone unvaccinated and exposed to measles must quarantine for 21 days. Officials urge you to get your shots before large events like the Islamic Association of North America Annual Convention and the Minnesota Muslim Convention in September. A return to school is another source of worry for public health experts.

It does not appear that there have been many cases in central Minnesota yet.

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