SAINT PAUL, Minn. – The Minnesota Department of Health confirms two measles cases as officials say people may have been exposed to the virus at Mall of America.
One case is in a Washington County adult whose vaccination status is unverified and was exposed to the virus on a plane outside of Minnesota.
The other case is from an unvaccinated child in Dakota County who hasn’t traveled outside of Minnesota in the last month and had no known exposure to measles. Minnesota has four confirmed cases of measles this year.
Disease investigators say the child was infectious while at Nickelodeon Universe on May 24. Health officials say people at Mall of America that day between 5:00 and 9:00 may have been exposed and should monitor for symptoms that develop between May 31 and June 14.
Symptoms include a fever, cough, runny nose and watery eyes followed by a rash that typically spreads from the head to the rest of the body. MDH says it generally takes eight to 12 days from exposure for someone with measles to develop the first symptoms. The measles rash usually appears two to three days after the fever begins.
“Anytime we confirm a case of measles unrelated to travel that has no known source it is worrying,” said Jessica Hancock-Allen, infectious disease division director at Minnesota Department of Health. “This is because it could be a sign that measles is spreading in the community undetected by public health and healthcare systems. It is uncertain where the child was exposed and whether others may have been exposed.”
