Minnesota faces rising measles cases

Minneapolis, Minnesota — Measles is more than just a rash: it can cause hearing loss, brain damage and death.

The Minnesota Department of Health has reported 46 cases of measles in the state so far this year, the most since 2017.

While 46 cases may not seem like a lot, it has infectious disease experts worried.

“We're all very fearful that this is going to get worse all at once because we have such low vaccination rates in parts of our population that it puts a lot of children at risk,” said Dr. Stasine Maruushek, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Hennepin Healthcare.

As a result, MDH is accelerating its vaccine recommendations.

Typically, the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine is given when a child is 1 year old and the second dose when they are 4 years old. Currently, MDH recommends the second dose be given one month after the first.

The ministry does not break down cases by ethnicity but says measles is spreading among unvaccinated children in the Somali community, where false and unsubstantiated reports have circulated for years that vaccines are linked to autism.

“A lot of studies have been done, costing millions of dollars, to basically disprove it,” Dr. Marushek said.

All five of his children have now been fully vaccinated, said Sayed Yusuf, a registered nurse and clinical supervisor at Hennepin Health who is Somali American.

“Overall, I think it's a lack of awareness, misunderstanding, miscommunication and lack of education,” Yusuf said.

Only 24% of Somali-American children in Minnesota have received both doses of the measles vaccine, compared with 87% for the rest of the population, a rate that experts say is dangerously low.

Measles is considered one of the most contagious diseases of all, according to the CDC, and the virus can remain active in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours.

Esme Murphy

Esme Murphy, a reporter and Sunday morning anchor for WCCO-TV, has been a part of the WCCO-TV staff since December 1990. She also hosts a weekend talk show on WCCO Radio. Born and raised in New York City, Esme entered journalism after graduating from Harvard University.

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