Today in measles outbreaks:

Three in Hennepin County, Minnesota.

The Minnesota Department of Health is investigating three measles cases.

All three patients are toddlers from Hennepin County. State health officials say they haven’t figured out how the children contracted the disease and are trying to track down anyone who may have had contact with them.

Most people who get measles in the United States have contracted the disease while traveling abroad or from someone who has recently traveled overseas. That’s not the case for these children, said Kris Ehresmann, the state health department’s infectious disease director.

They had not been vaccinated.

Most people in Minnesota are vaccinated against measles. But the state health department said immunization rates among some communities have declined in recent years.

Stinchfield said that the current outbreak should serve as a warning to parents who decline to have their children immunized.

“People who have opted out of vaccinating need to catch up and get themselves vaccinated now,” she said.

Stinchfield said the consequences of measles are dire.

“We’ve had children at our hospital even as recently as 2011 who were in our intensive care unit, on a ventilator. It can get into your brain, it can get into your lungs, it can cause permanent brain damage,” she said. “There is no medical reason not to get MMR vaccine unless you have a severe immune deficiency.”

Fifteen in Nova Scotia.

An additional case of measles has been confirmed on the province’s south shore, requiring notification to parents and guardians of students at Hebbville Academy. The current outbreak of measles now has 15 confirmed cases; one other case was identified since last public release on April 4.

“We are currently investigating this particular measles case to determine how it is linked with the other cases of measles we’ve been managing the past few weeks,” said Dr. Ryan Sommers, medical officer of health. “The person in this case, a student, attends Hebbville Academy and we have notified parents/guardians, students and staff at the school.”

Dr. Sommers notes that due to the large number of potential exposures in the school environment, Public Health decided to host a vaccination clinic for students and staff whose vaccination for measles is not up to date.

“This clinic will ideally help us prevent additional cases of measles and ensure that those whose vaccinations weren’t up to date are covered. While we may see other cases due to this exposure, this vaccination clinic along with our investigation should greatly reduce those numbers.”

This is the current outbreak; there was another in January / February, with seven cases.

Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Earlier today, the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services has confirmed a second case of measles in a Michigan adult. The first case was discovered in late March.

The two individuals, who are not members of the same family or otherwise related, were both passengers on the same airline flight when the first individual was contagious, the agency said.

One of the infected individuals dined at two Ann Arbor restaurants on Thursday and Friday of last week…

Maybe all the people who ate there at those times are vaccinated. Maybe.