A measles outbreak is concentrated in the Somali community in Minneapolis, according to the Twin Cities Pioneer Press.
The Minnesota Department of Health reported three new measles cases Wednesday, including one in Ramsey County.
Mostly concentrated in the young, unvaccinated Somali-Minnesotan community, the outbreak has grown to 63 cases statewide. There are now four cases in Ramsey County.
Read more at www.twincities.com
Meanwhile, Stat News says the situation is directly linked to anti-vaccination activists.
The campaign led to an increase in mistrust of vaccines, particularly measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine, among Somali-American parents, as well as dangerously low vaccination rates — 41 percent among 24-to-35-month-olds, according to one estimate. You don’t have to be an epidemiologist like me to comprehend the consequences of such drastic drops in vaccination rates.
Minnesota is now experiencing its worst outbreak in 30 years. It’s centered among Somali-Americans.
