Minn. working to prevent a measles outbreak
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Wisconsin health officials are dealing with an outbreak of measles. Seven Wisconsin patients have come down with measles since January first. Nationwide, 70 cases have been diagnosed in the first four months of 2008. The worst outbreaks are in Arizona, California and News York.
Minnesota health department epidemiologist Kris Ehresmann said so far, Minnesota hasn't had any measles cases this year. She says eight years ago, measles had been almost eliminated in the US, but that is not the case now.
"And what we're seeing now is a number of cases that are linked to importations coming from outside the United States. Certainly that can happen because measles is occurring in other countries. But what concerns us is when we have unvaccinated populations measles gets introduced and then we see ongoing transmission. So that's why it's of such concern," Ehresmann said.
Ehresmann says while measles is very contagious, officials have seen more people who are choosing to not be vaccinated against measles.
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