MDH urges vaccinations after Minnesota child gets measles

A Minnesota toddler has measles, the highly contagious respiratory illness that can be serious for small children, state health officials have confirmed.

The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) says the case was recently identified in an unvaccinated 1-year-old who had traveled internationally.

According to MDH’s online dashboard, it’s the first case in the state since 2022, when more than a dozen Minnesotans were part of a nationwide outbreak.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had reported nine cases across the country this year as of Jan. 25.

Because of the discovery, health officials are urging parents to get their children vaccinated against measles if they aren’t already.

The department notes that measles vaccination rates have dropped since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, as only 78.7% of 2-year-olds in Minnesota had received the vaccination last year compared to 83.8% in 2019.

Symptoms of measles are a rash, fever and either a cough or runny nose or watery eyes, MDH says, and they typically appear eight to 12 days after exposure.

MDH has more information about measles online.