Minnesota's measles cases have doubled in the past week

The number of measles cases in Minnesota has doubled in the last week, according to health officials.

The Minnesota Department of Health said Thursday there have been 10 reported cases in the state so far this year. There were five cases as of the last update, which came on Feb. 19.

All 10 cases resulted from exposure within the U.S., the health department said. The five reported last week occurred in the Twin Cities, and at least four of the cases are linked.

Minnesota saw 26 cases total in 2025.

As of Feb. 19, there were 982 measles cases nationwide this year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. No one has died of the measles this year, but 38 cases have required hospitalization.

Experts say vaccination is the best way to protect against measles, which the CDC classifies as one of the most contagious infectious diseases. Ninety-four percent of those infected in 2026 were unvaccinated or had an unknown vaccination status, the CDC said.

Officials recommend children receive two doses of the MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) vaccine — the first at 12 to 15 months old and the second between 4 and 6 years old.    

Health experts blame declining vaccination rates for increases in preventable diseases like measles. During the 2019-2020 school year, 95.2% of kindergarteners were vaccinated against measles. In 2021-2022, that figure dropped to 93%, and again to 92.7% in 2023-2024.