MINNEAPOLIS — A typically rare disease that was declared eradicated in the United States more than two decades ago has now been identified inside a Minneapolis school.
The Minnesota Department of Health announced that a Minneapolis elementary school student has contracted measles.
Minneapolis Public Schools did not say which schools were affected but said families were notified if their children may have been exposed.
As a precautionary measure, unvaccinated children who may be infected must stay home from school for 21 days.
“Ultimately, this highlights why school vaccination mandates are important to prevent measles outbreaks as it provides schools with timely and accurate information on which children have been vaccinated, which often leads to improved vaccination rates,” a health department spokesperson said.
As of Sept. 24, there have been 59 cases of measles in Minnesota, according to the health department. This is the most measles cases the state has had since 2017, when there were 75 cases. For comparison, there were zero measles cases reported in the state last year.
Of the 59 cases so far this year, all but one have occurred in people under the age of 20. Twelve of those cases have been hospitalized. The majority of cases have been reported in Hennepin County.
According to city data from August, 40% of Minneapolis Public Schools students Vaccination schedule is lagging.
“To me, that’s very concerning because we have a lot of kids in urban and rural areas who are not being vaccinated,” said Dr. Stasine Maruushek, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Hennepin Healthcare.
Measles is primarily circulating among Minnesota’s Somali community, where state health officials say vaccination rates have plummeted over the past 10 to 15 years.
“We need to not ignore the fear, but at the same time correct the misinformation,” said Syed Yusuf, clinical care supervisor at Hennepin Healthcare.
Yusuf, who is Somali-American, said misinformation is being spread by word of mouth amid a flurry of unsubstantiated reports linking the vaccine for the disease to autism.
Medical experts say it’s important to dispel fears with facts, but that’s easier said than done.
“It’s very difficult to argue with emotions, even when you have hard facts,” Marušek said.
The CDC recommends that children get two doses of the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine: the first at age 12 to 15 months and the second at age 4 to 6. The second dose can be given within one month of the first, according to the health department.
Measles is highly contagious: The virus can remain active in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
