Two of the three cases of measles reported to the Minnesota Department of Health in February have been in Dakota County. All three have been in the Twin Cities Metro area. The two Dakota County cases were reportedly siblings who had traveled internationally.
The state had no measles cases reported in 2023, and there were 22 cases in 2022. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) urges parents to be vaccinated against measles, as those who were infected were not. No further information about the children was released.
MDH reports that all cases in 2022 were related to international travel, and all those infected were unvaccinated.
Nationwide, there have been more than 10 cases of measles reported, according to the Centers of Disease Control. Measles symptoms include a rash, cough, runny nose, fever, water eyes and pink eye. Measles is highly contagious and is dangerous for small children.
The risk of contracting measles in the U.S. remains very low - it was declared eliminated in the U.S. in 2000 - the World Health Organization recently noted global cases continue to rise, a trend seen over the last few years. In 2023, there were more than 300,000 measles cases globally, which is an increase of 79% from 2022.
The World Health Organization recommends at least a 95% vaccination rate to achieve and maintain herd immunity against measles. Vaccine coverage among kindergartners in the U.S. has fallen below that threshold in the last few years to roughly 93%, as noted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
According to the Minnesota Department of Health, the statewide vaccination rate for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) among kindergarteners was 87.7% in the 2022-23 school year. That’s down slightly from the 89% rate reported by the CDC for Minnesota in 2021-22 — 41st among all states in that school year.
The CDC reports 14 states that year had the recommended minimum of 95% vaccination rate among kindergarten children, and 26 states had rates between 90 and 94%.
According to MDH, kindergarten rates of vaccination at Hastings area schools are:
School Name Enrollment Vaccination Rate
Pine Harbor Christian Academy 25 73%
Kennedy Elementary 91 87%
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton 14 93%
Christa McAuliffe Elementary 96 94%
St. John the Baptist-Vermillion 18 94%
Pinecrest Elementary 75 99%
