Minnesota state health officials are reporting  a case of measles in a child who lives in Hennepin County. The 5-year-old child became ill in early August shortly after returning from international travel to a region where measles is common.

Image/geralt
Image/geralt

The child was not vaccinated against measles and was hospitalized.

The child was likely infectious from July 30 through Aug. 7. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) has notified health care providers in the state to be alert for patients with signs or symptoms of measles. If you see symptoms of measles, call your doctor or clinic right away and they will let you know if you need to come in for a visit. If additional cases were to develop as a result of this case, they would likely occur between now and Aug. 28 health officials said.

Last year, Minnesota experienced its largest measles outbreak since 1990, with 75 cases identified between April and August 2017. Of those cases, 21 were hospitalized and 91 percent were not vaccinated.

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“Stopping the 2017 measles outbreak did not eliminate our risk for another outbreak,” said MDH Infectious Disease Division Director Kris Ehresmann. “We still have pockets of our population with low vaccination rates, so as long as there is measles somewhere in the world, the risk to Minnesota remains. That’s why it is so important to make sure you and your family are vaccinated.”

The best way to prevent measles is through vaccination. Children should receive two doses of MMR vaccine: The first at 12 to 15 months of age, and the second at 4 to 6 years of age. Children 6 to 12 months should get an early dose of MMR vaccine if they are traveling to a country where measles is common. For all ages, it is important to talk to your doctor if you are going to be traveling to another country. Your doctor can check to make sure you and your family are up to date on your immunizations and make sure there are no other immunizations you need.