Measles case confirmed in Ramsey County, 32 total in Minnesota

The Minnesota Department of Health on Friday confirmed a case of measles in Ramsey County. On Thursday, a case was confirmed in Stearns County, which was the first time this year's measles outbreak had expanded beyond Hennepin County.

There are now 32 cases on measles confirmed in Minnesota, with the other 30 cases are in Hennepin County. All but one of the cases are confirmed to be unvaccinated children, but one patient had one dose of the MMR vaccine.

The cases are in children ranging from infants to 5 years old, and at least 28 of the 32 cases are in the Somali-American community.

Measles causes a high fever, cough, runny nose, watery eyes and a large rash. It is highly contagious and health department officials say the best protection against the virus is getting vaccinated.

The last major measles outbreak in Minnesota occurred in 1990 - with over 450 cases and three deaths.