A measles outbreak continues in and around Hennepin County, with at least 51 people sickened, according to the latest data from the Department of Health. The majority were unvaccinated children, and nearly a quarter had to be hospitalized.
Separate data released by the Department of Health earlier this year highlighted declining vaccination rates, one of the risk factors behind the state’s worst measles outbreak since 2017, which was The problem is particularly acute within Minneapolis public schools.
From 2014 to 2019, more than 93% of Minnesota kindergarteners received a full course of measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine before entering school. However, a wave of social distrust and anti-vaccine sentiment caused that number to decline in subsequent years, with only 87% of kindergarteners fully vaccinated with the MMR vaccine at the beginning of the 2023-2024 school year. Ta.
But the decline in kindergarten enrollment in Minneapolis public schools is even more severe. MPS vaccination rates were 1 to 2 percentage points lower than the pre-pandemic statewide average, but only 75% of MPS kindergartners received the full MMR vaccine in 2023.
That’s a 12-point difference, and data shows it’s down 6 percentage points in the past year alone.
It’s not clear what’s behind Minneapolis’ steep decline. A recent Sahan Journal analysis of Hennepin County data found that “of the 20 schools with the lowest MMR vaccination rates, 11 are private Christian schools and seven are public schools serving primarily Somali students. It turned out to be a charter school. At least 16 schools in the county have less than half of their kindergarten students fully vaccinated against measles.
Minnesota allows parents to exempt their children from vaccination requirements for personal or philosophical reasons. Most states allow only religious exemptions, but some states, such as New York and California, do not allow non-medical vaccine exemptions at all.
The statewide non-medical MMR exemption rate increased from 2.6% in 2014 to 5.2% in 2023. Minneapolis Public Schools’ exemption rate fell from 2.4% to 1.5% over the same period, suggesting some parents are simply ignoring the requirements. — and that no one is forcing them.
Vaccination rates at Minnesota charter schools are typically 12 to 14 percentage points lower than traditional public schools, a gap that has been consistent since before the pandemic. Many of the Twin Cities’ charters target Somali immigrant communities, but vaccination rates tend to be low, in part due to years of misinformation campaigns by anti-vaccination activists targeting Somali immigrant communities.
Minnesota Republican lawmakers have also fanned the flames of vaccine skepticism in recent years. At a House committee hearing in March, Rep. Natalie Zeleznikar, R-Friedenberg Township, denounced the vaccine as a “potentially deadly poison.”
State Sen. Nathan Wessenberg (R-Little Falls) called the coronavirus vaccine a “death bullet” during a 2023 rally at the state Capitol organized by anti-vaccination groups. At least seven other Republicans also attended.
Measles is highly contagious. Patients initially exhibit flu-like symptoms, but if left untreated, it can cause pneumonia, brain damage and long-term neurological problems, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
