Minnesota measles cases reach highest count since 1990
Lila Johnson is a seasoned business reporter with a background in finance, having graduated from the University of North Dakota. She has previously worked with local business journals and focuses on small business success stories and entrepreneurial initiatives.
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ST. PAUL — Minnesota is reporting its highest total of measles cases in a year since 1990, state health officials said Thursday, Oct. 29. In 2026, to date, 80 people in Minnesota have contracted the highly infectious disease. Fifty-seven of those cases have occurred in Todd County in central Minnesota, where the Department of Health has identified a measles cluster. The vast majority of Minnesotans who have caught the measles this year — all but two — have not received two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine, the Department of Health said. And 71% of cases have been in children and teens under the age of 18. The Department of Health encourages people to check their health records to see if they and their children have been immunized against measles, mumps and rubella. "We strongly advise anyone who is recommended to receive the MMR vaccine and has not been vaccinated to contact their healthcare provider and get vaccinated now," said Dr. Brooke Cunn