A central Minnesota hospital is expanding measles screening as cases continue to rise in the state, a sign that a rural outbreak that began in mid-September has not yet run its course.
Lakewood Health System, based in Staples, is asking patients and visitors at its hospital and five clinics about their vaccination status and possible recent exposure to measles, Minnesota News Network reported on October 26. Several people with measles visited the hospital’s emergency room over the past month, triggering investigations into potential exposures. Lakewood says all of its employees are vaccinated and staff are working with local communities to help contain the spread.
The numbers so far
Todd County now has 20 cases, bringing the statewide total to at least 43, according to the October 26 report. That is up from 42 cases reported by the Minnesota Department of Health in its October 15 surveillance update.
The health department’s October 15 statement said 25 cases had been confirmed since mid-September in two unrelated clusters in different parts of the state: 19 in Todd County in central Minnesota and six in Fillmore County in the southeast. All of the people who got sick in those recent clusters were unvaccinated, the department said.
Minnesota’s 2026 total of 42 cases at that point already exceeded the 26 cases recorded in 2025, according to local reporting. The year before that saw 70 cases, largely affecting unvaccinated children in the Twin Cities.
Why measles spreads so fast
Measles is highly contagious and can spread through the air before an infected person realizes they have the disease. Symptoms can take up to three weeks to appear, which means people exposed in recent days may not yet know whether they are infected.
The Minnesota Department of Health has urged anyone who has not been vaccinated against measles to get vaccinated, and says it is working closely with local public health agencies to follow up on recent cases and exposures. The department warned that, given how contagious measles is, the case count will very likely grow in the days and weeks ahead.
Nationally, there have been more than 4,000 confirmed measles cases in the United States this year, the department said in its October 15 statement. After being eliminated in the U.S. for decades, measles is once again circulating in the country, the department said.
Vaccination gaps in Minnesota
Children in Minnesota are required to get two doses of the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine — known as the MMR vaccine — before kindergarten, unless their families submit an exemption. The number of kindergartners with a non-medical exemption has risen sharply since 2020, according to data from the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention cited in local reporting.
In the 2025-2026 school year, 6.8% of Minnesota kindergartners had a non-medical exemption, compared with a national rate of 4%. Around 86% of Minnesota kindergartners have received the MMR vaccine, according to health department data cited by MPR News — the third lowest rate in the nation.
No one in Minnesota has been hospitalized with measles this year, according to MPR News reporting cited in recent coverage, although some patients have needed emergency room care. Measles can make people very sick, especially infants, young children, pregnant people and people with underlying conditions, the health department said. Prevention through vaccination is the strongest defense, the department said, describing the MMR vaccine as safe and well-studied.
What to do if you may have been exposed
Health officials advise people to check their vaccination status and talk to a healthcare provider if they think they may have been exposed, especially before visiting a clinic or hospital where they could expose others. The health department’s measles website carries current case counts, updated weekly, along with vaccine information and other resources.
For rural hospitals like Lakewood, the challenge is practical as well as medical: screening every patient and visitor, tracing emergency-room exposures, and reaching communities where vaccination rates are lower — all while the statewide count continues to tick upward.
Sources: Minnesota Department of Health, “Statement on measles cases in Minnesota” (Oct. 15, 2026); Minnesota News Network, “Morning Headlines — October 26th, 2026”; MPR News / Medical Daily reporting on Minnesota’s 42 cases as of Oct. 15, 2026.
