Three more measles cases in Minnesota have officials worried about vaccinations

The Minnesota Department of Health is sharing details about three more cases of measles reported this week. That brings the total number of cases in the state rises to 15.

The new cases were confirmed to be children who were unvaccinated, and unrelated to each other. That is causing concern for potential community spread of measles in Minnesota.

Disease and Prevention Control Director Jessica Hancock-Allen says case numbers won't go down without more vaccinations.

"I really would encourage parents, in particular, to make sure your kiddos are caught up on their measles vaccinations," Hancock-Allen explains. "Anyone who is unvaccinated against measles right now is at risk."

This year there have been 167 confirmed cases of measles nationwide, three times as many cases as there were in 2019.

Measles is fairly rare still in the U.S. and across the U.S. but not as rare across other parts of the world. Hancock-Allen says while measles is usually linked to travel or family spread these three cases are different.

"They are not associated with recent travel and they are not directly related to a known case," she said. "And so, that makes us concerned. There could be risks for community, what we call community spread in Minnesota."

Measles can spread easily to unvaccinated persons. Maintaining high immunization rates is essential to preventing measles according to the Department of Health.

Over the last 25 years in Minnesota , there have been only a handful of spikes: 2011, 2017 and 2022.