Health Incident Command Team Works To Prevent Measles Spread

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — An incident command team from the Minnesota Department of Health is overseeing a coordinated effort to stop the spread of measles, which this year is the state’s worst since 1990.

The team has been meeting daily to monitor new cases, review infection control efforts and coordinate with local health officials. The outbreak has grown to 54 cases.

The Star Tribune says the health department team, which includes about two dozen members, has identified 7,000 people exposed to the virus at child care centers, three schools and about 20 health care settings.

A low vaccination rate among Somalis has contributed to the spread of the disease in child care centers. In the past four weeks, nearly 1,600 Somali children have been vaccinated. That’s up from just 140 in the month before the outbreak.