Varicella (Chickenpox) and Zoster (Shingles) Statistics
Updated 1/6/2022
The incidence of varicella (chickenpox) has declined sharply in Minnesota over the last 15 years with the introduction of the varicella vaccine and new immunization recommendations and requirements. From 2005 to 2012, we monitored varicella activity through outbreaks reported by K-12 schools and individual cases reported by selected sentinel schools. When the reported numbers became too low to detect disease trends, the state reporting rule for varicella was revised. Since 2013, health care providers, child cares, and schools have been required to report all suspected and confirmed cases of varicella.
On this page:
Varicella and Zoster Annual Statistics
2021 Varicella Cases to Date
2020 Varicella Cases to Date
Disease Control Newsletter (DCN)
Varicella and Zoster Annual Statistics
Varicella Annual Case Counts, 2013-2020, Minnesota
Varicella and Zoster Annual Statistics Summaries
Archive of annual summaries of varicella (chickenpox) and zoster (shingles) statistics including incidence of chickenpox by age and county, effects of vaccination, risk factors, and trends for childhood shingles.
2021 Varicella Cases to Date
Data are preliminary and may change as reports are received.
As of Dec. 31, 2021:
- Number of probable and confirmed cases reported: 145
Cases by County
| County | Number of cases |
|---|---|
| Aitkin | 0 |
| Anoka | 20 |
| Becker | 4 |
| Beltrami | 1 |
| Benton | 0 |
| Big Stone | 0 |
| Blue Earth | 1 |
| Brown | 0 |
| Carlton | 2 |
| Carver | 8 |
| Cass | 0 |
| Chippewa | 0 |
| Chisago | 1 |
| Clay | 1 |
| Clearwater | 0 |
| Cook | 0 |
| Cottonwood | 0 |
| Crow Wing | 1 |
| Dakota | 7 |
| Dodge | 0 |
| Douglas | 3 |
| Faribault | 0 |
| Fillmore | 0 |
| Freeborn | 3 |
| Goodhue | 1 |
| Grant | 0 |
| Hennepin | 23 |
| Houston | 2 |
| Hubbard | 0 |
| Isanti | 0 |
| Itasca | 6 |
| Jackson | 0 |
| Kanabec | 0 |
| Kandiyohi | 1 |
| Kittson | 0 |
| Koochiching | 0 |
| Lac Qui Parle | 0 |
| Lake | 0 |
| Lake of the Woods | 0 |
| Le Sueur | 2 |
| Lincoln | 0 |
| Lyon | 2 |
| Mahnomen | 0 |
| Marshall | 0 |
| Martin | 2 |
| McLeod | 0 |
| Meeker | 1 |
| Mille Lacs | 0 |
| Morrison | 0 |
| Mower | 1 |
| Murray | 1 |
| Nicollet | 2 |
| Nobles | 0 |
| Norman | 0 |
| Olmsted | 0 |
| Otter Tail | 5 |
| Pennington | 0 |
| Pine | 0 |
| Pipestone | 1 |
| Polk | 0 |
| Pope | 1 |
| Ramsey | 9 |
| Red Lake | 0 |
| Redwood | 0 |
| Renville | 0 |
| Rice | 0 |
| Rock | 0 |
| Roseau | 0 |
| St. Louis | 5 |
| Scott | 8 |
| Sherburne | 0 |
| Sibley | 2 |
| Stearns | 0 |
| Steele | 1 |
| Stevens | 0 |
| Swift | 0 |
| Todd | 0 |
| Traverse | 0 |
| Wabasha | 0 |
| Wadena | 0 |
| Waseca | 0 |
| Washington | 8 |
| Watonwan | 1 |
| Wilkin | 0 |
| Winona | 0 |
| Wright | 8 |
| Yellow Medicine | 0 |
| Unknown | 0 |
2020 Varicella Cases to Date
Data are preliminary and may change as reports are received.
As of Apr. 2, 2021:
- Number of probable and confirmed cases reported:122
Cases by County
| County | Number of cases |
|---|---|
| Aitkin | 0 |
| Anoka | 11 |
| Becker | 0 |
| Beltrami | 0 |
| Benton | 0 |
| Big Stone | 0 |
| Blue Earth | 1 |
| Brown | 0 |
| Carlton | 0 |
| Carver | 6 |
| Cass | 0 |
| Chippewa | 1 |
| Chisago | 0 |
| Clay | 1 |
| Clearwater | 0 |
| Cook | 0 |
| Cottonwood | 0 |
| Crow Wing | 0 |
| Dakota | 20 |
| Dodge | 0 |
| Douglas | 0 |
| Faribault | 0 |
| Fillmore | 0 |
| Freeborn | 0 |
| Goodhue | 2 |
| Grant | 0 |
| Hennepin | 24 |
| Houston | 0 |
| Hubbard | 0 |
| Isanti | 4 |
| Itasca | 0 |
| Jackson | 1 |
| Kanabec | 1 |
| Kandiyohi | 1 |
| Kittson | 0 |
| Koochiching | 0 |
| Lac Qui Parle | 0 |
| Lake | 2 |
| Lake of the Woods | 1 |
| Le Sueur | 0 |
| Lincoln | 0 |
| Lyon | 4 |
| Mahnomen | 0 |
| Marshall | 0 |
| Martin | 0 |
| McLeod | 1 |
| Meeker | 1 |
| Mille Lacs | 2 |
| Morrison | 0 |
| Mower | 1 |
| Murray | 0 |
| Nicollet | 1 |
| Nobles | 0 |
| Norman | 0 |
| Olmsted | 5 |
| Otter Tail | 0 |
| Pennington | 0 |
| Pine | 0 |
| Pipestone | 0 |
| Polk | 0 |
| Pope | 0 |
| Ramsey | 9 |
| Red Lake | 0 |
| Redwood | 0 |
| Renville | 0 |
| Rice | 3 |
| Rock | 0 |
| Roseau | 1 |
| St. Louis | 0 |
| Scott | 4 |
| Sherburne | 1 |
| Sibley | 0 |
| Stearns | 2 |
| Steele | 0 |
| Stevens | 1 |
| Swift | 0 |
| Todd | 0 |
| Traverse | 0 |
| Wabasha | 2 |
| Wadena | 0 |
| Waseca | 1 |
| Washington | 5 |
| Watonwan | 0 |
| Wilkin | 0 |
| Winona | 0 |
| Wright | 2 |
| Yellow Medicine | 0 |
| Unknown | 0 |
Disease Control Newsletter (DCN)
Disease Control Newsletter (DCN) annual summary of varicella and zoster disease in Minnesota. Provides the detailed statistics for disease activity in Minnesota for each year.