Minnesota health officials on Thursday confirmed a new measles infection related to an outbreak that began in late March. The newly identified infection follows several weeks without a new measles case.
Here are four things to know.
1. The new case brings the total count to 79, with 70 infections occurring in Hennepin County. After weeks of outbreak inactivity, Minnesota health officials expressed cautious optimism they could declare the outbreak officially over on July 29.
"While there's been some recent speculation that the outbreak was nearing its end, we've been cautious about making any predictions," said Kris Ehresmann, director of the health department's infectious disease division. "When you're dealing with a disease that can spread as easily as measles, you need to keep your guard up until the very end of the possible timeframe when people could get sick. This latest case is unfortunate, but we remain optimistic that we're heading in the right direction thanks to the public health measures we've taken in partnership with local public health, the affected individuals and communities."
2. Though the newest case occurred in a white male, 64 of the 79 cases have been identified among the Somali Minnesotan community. Immunization rates among this population dropped in recent years due to the spread of misinformationregarding vaccine safety.
3. Infectious disease researchers assessed the outbreak and the public health response in the CDC's most recent Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
"In a community with previously high vaccination coverage, concerns about autism, the perceived increased rates of autism in the Somali-American community, and the misunderstanding that autism was related to the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine resulted in a decline in MMR vaccination coverage to a level low enough to sustain widespread measles transmission," wrote the CDC researchers.
4. The report's authors concluded the Minnesota measles outbreak "demonstrates the importance of addressing low vaccination coverage rates to ensure that children are adequately protected from a potentially serious vaccine-preventable disease."
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