“They did not travel together in a group or tour or anything like that,” she said.
Griffith encouraged people to seek testing if they develop fevers and other measleslike symptoms after exposure to people who have the disease, or if they develop the infection’s characteristic rash.
Unvaccinated people exposed to measles are generally asked to stay home from work and public indoor places for 21 days to prevent further spread of the infection. The measles virus is one of the most infectious agents on the planet, capable of lingering in the air and spreading to others for two hours after sick people have left the area.
A two-dose vaccine is 97% effective at preventing measles, but the infectious disease is making a comeback in the United States as parents decline the shots for their children. The 1,500 U.S. cases this year represent the highest total since 1992.
Minnesota had one of the best measles vaccination rates in the nation a decade ago, when 94% of children had received the shots in time for kindergarten. However, the state had the sixth-worst rate, 87%, at the start of the 2022-23 school year.
Three children in the recent Minnesota clusters were hospitalized, Griffith said.
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