Minnesota officials say measles outbreak is over

The Minnesota Department of Health has declared an end to the state's measles outbreak that began in February. It has been six weeks since the last case was identified.

The health department waited for two incubation periods to pass before declaring the outbreak officially over.

State Epidemiologist Ruth Lynfield said that doesn't mean that measles is no longer a threat.

"Even though it is over, there's still a lot of measles around," Lynfield said. "People have been exposed in airports. People have been exposed in other countries. It doesn't mean it's gone."

In Minnesota, 23 people contracted measles during the outbreak. Of the cases, 20 were linked to a Somali child who developed measles after returning from a trip to Kenya, where the virus is rampant.

There were no deaths from measles in Minnesota, but 14 children had to be hospitalized.