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Number Of Cases In Measles Outbreak Climbs To 11

MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – State health officials said Wednesday that there are now 11 cases of measles in Minnesota.

All of the confirmed cases are in Hennepin County, affecting children ages 1 through 5, the Minnesota Department of Health says.

Most of the cases are confirmed in kids who were not vaccinated. Nine of the cases are in Somali Minnesotans.

Health officials say the Somali community has been targeted with misinformation about vaccine risks in regards to autism.

Measles is a highly contagious disease. Symptoms include a high fever, runny nose and a rash that spreads over the entire body.

The best way to prevent the disease is to get an MMR vaccination, health officials say.

While measles is no longer common in the United States, it can still be brought over by visitors from other countries.

Hennepin County officials suspect that the recent outbreak in Minnesota originated in someone who was exposed to the disease abroad.

The Department of Health is currently working to determine who the affected children might have recently exposed to the disease.

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