Measles   
Annual Summary of Reportable Diseases

Measles is an acute viral respiratory illness, which spreads easily when an infected person breaths, coughs, or sneezes. In 2022, 22 measles cases were reported as a result of unrelated travel importations in multiple families. Eleven cases were residents of Hennepin County, and the remaining were residents of Ramsey (6), Dakota (4), and Scott (1) counties. All 22 cases were laboratory confirmed by PCR and genotyped as B3. All 22 cases were unvaccinated for measles. All 22 cases were Black/African American and non-Hispanic. Eighteen (82%) of the cases reported 1 or more complications including otitis, diarrhea, dehydration, vomiting, pneumonia, or thrombocytopenia. The age range of the cases was 1 to 13 years, with a median of 5 years. Ten (45%) of the cases were hospitalized.

The first family travel cluster (2 cases) occurred in June as a result of international travel and no transmission occurred. In August, another family travel cluster (4 cases, unrelated to the June cases) occurred involving family members who had also traveled internationally and then developed measles upon return to the U.S. In mid-late September, two additional travel clusters (8 cases; 2 clusters of 4 cases each) were identified that were unrelated to the August cluster and to one another.

The second of the September clusters went on to transmit to four individuals; this included two family members (2 cases) that lived outside of the household, one child in a healthcare setting (1 case, October) and one child in a daycare (1 case, November – with delayed onset due to receipt of immune globulin). The child with exposure in a healthcare setting then exposed three unvaccinated siblings in the household setting and caused three more cases. Complete information on source could not be obtained for one case because the parent refused a full interview; however, it is suspected that this case was a contact of the first September cluster.

Working with healthcare, local public health, and community partners, MDH was able to identify and test the cases early and make sure they were in isolation and that the additional exposed siblings were in exclusion, so additional transmission outside of the household did not take place.

• For up to date information see: Measles (Rubeola) 

No measles cases were reported in 2021.

• For up to date information see:  Measles (Rubeola)

No measles cases were reported in 2020.

• For up to date information see: Measles (Rubeola)

No measles cases were reported in 2019.

• Find up to date information: Measles (Rubeola)

Three measles cases were reported in 2018, 2 of which occurred in Minnesota residents. One was a 5 year-old black, non-Hispanic resident of Hennepin County. The second was a 2 year-old black, non-Hispanic non-U.S. resident. Both children were unvaccinated and presented with fever, rash, cough, coryza, and conjunctivitis upon returning from Kenya in August. Both required hospitalization and recovered without complications. The third case was a 2 year-old white, non-Hispanic resident of Ramsey County. The child had a history of 1 age-appropriate dose of MMR, and became ill after returning from Israel in early September. This case was not hospitalized; his illness was mild and did not resemble classic measles infection.

All 3 cases were laboratory confirmed by PCR at the PHL. The first 2 cases with travel to Kenya were genotyped as B3, and the third case with travel to Israel could not be genotyped. The third case was lab-confirmed with other viral etiologies in addition to measles. All 3 cases were considered international importations (exposed to measles outside of the United States) and were not epidemiologically linked to each other or to any other known cases or outbreaks.

• For up to date information see: Measles (Rubeola)

• Archive of Annual Summary of Communicable Diseases Reported to the Minnesota Department of Health
  Archive of past summaries (years prior to 2023 are available as PDFs).