The measles outbreak, which started in Hennepin County, has now spread to Stearns County, according to a Minnesota Public Radio News report. There are 28 cases confirmed in Hennepin County, all within the Somali-American community. Stearns County, where there is one confirmed measles case at the moment, also boasts a large Somali-American community.
“We did anticipate that there might be transmission in those areas,” Minnesota Department of Health’s Infectious Disease Director Kris Ehresmann, according to the report.
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Twenty-five of the 29 infected children were not vaccinated. One child received the first of the two measles, mumps and rubella vaccine shots and the vaccination status of the other three children is yet unknown.
The two-dose MMR vaccine is 97 percent effective in preventing measles, the CDC notes.
Earlier this month, state health officials asked more than 200 people to voluntarily quarantine themselves, as they may have been exposed.
The source of the outbreak as unknown, although the cases may be related to international travel. The United States declared measles eradicated in 2000.
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