Officials: Measles outbreak caused by anti-vaccination campaign

There has been a recent measles outbreak in Minnesota, and now authorities know the reason behind it.

A group of Somali-Americans, mostly children, have been diagnosed with the disease. The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) released a report that said the vast majority, 55 out of 58 cases, were unvaccinated.

Kristen Ehresmann, director of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, Prevention and Control at MDH, spoke to Live Science about why so many Somali-Americans were anti-vaccinated. In 2008, children were reported to be in special education in higher numbers than other demographics; this caught the attention of the anti-vaccination movement, which falsely links vaccines to autism.

"They have been very aggressive in taking advantage of concerns about autism in this community," Ehresmann told Live Science. "Before 2008, Somali immunization rates [in Minnesota] were at or above the rate in the rest of [the] state. Starting in 2008, we saw a dramatic decline — now we're at 41 percent."

Measles was announced eliminated from the Americans in 2016 by the Pan American Health Organization. According to the WHO, though, there have been outbreaks this year due to lack of immunization.

Ehresmann said the Somali-American community is starting to push back against anti-vaccination. "Physicians and other health care leaders in the community are speaking out, which makes a big difference," she told Live Science. "We're really seeing the community step up and take action."

See photos of the recent outbreak