St. Paul, MN (KROC-AM News) - An ongoing measles outbreak in Minnesota has become worst to hit the state in at least two decades. The state health department says it has confirmed 29 cases of the measles since the beginning of the outbreak, which is three more than the total from an outbreak in 2011 that was previously listed as the worst the past 20 years.

The health department is also reporting one of the cases occurred in the Stearns County, marking the first time in this outbreak a case of the potentially life-threatening disease has been found outside Hennepin County. All of the cases involved children 5-years-old or younger, and it has been confirmed that 25 of sickened children had not to been vaccinated against measles. One of the other children had one dose of the vaccine, while officials are still working to verify the immunization status of the three other affected children.

It is known that 25 of the affected children are of Somali descent, while investigators are still gathering information about the race or ethnicity of the four others.

 

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