If no new cases are identified by July 29, officials with the Minnesota Department of Health will declare the outbreak officially over.
“We did a lot of work, both [with] … vaccinating as well as following up on anyone who was exposed, so we feel like that has really helped to slow the outbreak down, and at this point we’re hoping that we’re done with it,” Kris Ehresmann, director of the health department’s infectious disease division, told MPR.
The outbreak began in April and affected four counties with 69 of 78 cases occurring in Hennepin County. Sixty-four of the cases occurred among the Somali Minnesotan community. Immunization rates among this population dropped in recent years due to the spread of misinformation regarding vaccine safety.
To learn more about the measles, click here.
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