♪♪ >> Eric: FIVE YEARS AGO THIS WEEK, THE CORONAVIRUS WAS SPREADING ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND THE WORLD.

HERE IN MINNESOTA, AS BUSINESSES WERE BEGINNING TO SHUT DOWN, THE STATE'S FIRST CONFIRMED DEATH FROM COVID-19 WAS ANNOUNCED.

VACCINES WERE FAR IN THE FUTUR AS WAS ANTI-VACCINE SENTIMENT THAT HEALTH OFFICIALS SAY NOW IS THE CORE OF THE CURRENT MEASLES OUTBREAK IN THE U.S.

SO HOW IS THE STATE PREPARING FOR A POSSIBLE RISE IN MEASLES HERE IN MINNESOTA?

STATE EPIDEMIOLOGIST DR. RUTH LYNFIELD JOINS US.

WELCOME BACK, DOCTOR.

HOW ARE YOU PREPARING?

>> WELL, WE ACTUALLY HAVE BEEN PREPARING AND WORKING WITH OUR COMMUNITIES FOR MANY YEARS.

YOU MAY RECALL MEASLES IN MINNESOTA, WE'VE HAD A NUMBER OF MEASLES OUTBREAKS.

>> Cathy: JUST LAST YEAR, RIGHT?

>> JUST LAST YEAR WE HAD 70 CASES.

SO WE DO HAVE SOME COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE SOME CONCERN ABOUT VACCINES.

SOME OF THESE COMMUNITIES ACTUALLY HAVE BEEN TARGETED BY ANTI-VAX ADVOCATES, AND IT HAS TAKEN AWHILE TO WORK WITH THESE COMMUNITIES.

AND WE'VE BEEN WORKING WITH THEM ACTUALLY FOR ABOUT 15 YEARS.

>> Eric: HOW SERIOUS COULD THIS GET?

>> IT CERTAINLY COULD GET SERIOUS.

WHAT OUR EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN WITH MEASLES OUTBREAKS IS THAT WHEN MEASLES IS CIRCULATING IN THE COMMUNITY, OFTENTIMES PEOPLE WILL THEN WEIGH THE RISK-BENEFIT AND GET THEIR CHILDREN VACCINATED.

BUT IT IS REALLY HARD.

IT IS HARD BECAUSE THERE ARE CONCERNS ABOUT AUTISM, AND WE DO NEED MORE RESEARCH, MORE INFORMATION ABOUT AUTISM.

WE DO KNOW FROM MANY STUDIES THAT MMR IS NOT ASSOCIATED WITH AUTISM.

BUT THAT'S -- DOESN'T REALLY ANSWER PEOPLE'S QUESTIONS.

WHEN THEY'RE WORRIED ABOUT THEIR CHILDREN, IF THEY'VE HAD A CHILD WHO HAS AUTISM AND THE AUTISM OCCURRED AROUND THE TIME, THAT'S HEN IT FIRST GETS NOTICED AROUND THE TIME OF THE MEASLES VACCINATION, THEY'RE WORRIED.

>> Cathy: HOW ABOUT ADULTS?

ONE ADULT HAS ALREADY DIED I THINK IN TEXAS, RIGHT?

>> YES.

>> Cathy: I WAS SHOCKED WHEN MY DOCTOR TESTED ME FOR IMMUNITY TO MEASLES AND I'M NOT IMMUNE AND I THOUGHT, WAIT A MINUTE, I WAS VACCINATED WHEN I WAS A KID.

SO IS THIS AN ISSUE THAT YOU NEED TO WATCH OUT FOR, ESPECIALLY WITH THESE OUTBREAKS IN THER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY?

>> WE DO NEED TO WATCH OUT WHEN THERE ARE OUTBREAKS, NOT ONLY IN OTHER PARTS OF THE COUNTRY BUT OTHER PARTS OF THE WORLD.

THERE ARE MANY OUTBREAKS OCCURRING NOW.

AND MEASLES REALLY IS THE MOST CONTAGIOUS VIRAL DISEASE THAT WE HAVE OUT THERE.

IF YOU HAVE 10 PEOPLE IN A ROOM AND A CONTAGIOUS, INFECTIOUS PERSON COMES IN THAT ROOM, 9 OUT OF 10 PEOPLE WILL GET INFECTED.

IT IS THAT CONTAGIOUS.

IT CAN BE SPREAD IN THE AIR.

AND SO, YES, WE WORRY WHEN YOU HAVE UNDERVACCINATED COMMUNITIES.

AND THAT'S WHERE WE SEE THE SPREAD AND THE CIRCULATION.

IT IS OF CONCERN IN 2000, THE UNITED STATES WAS GIVEN ELIMINATION STATUS, MEANING THAT WE NO LONGER HAVE MEASLES ENDEMIC IN OUR COUNTRY.

BUT WHEN WE START TO GET COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE 50% IMMUNITY, IT IS A PROBLEM.

WHEN YOU DROP AMONGST CHILDREN BELOW 90%, IT CAN BE AN ISSUE.

WE LIKE TO SEE 95% VACCINATION RATES.

>> Cathy: SO IT'S SPRING BREAK.

ARE YOU ALL AT THE STATE HEALTH DEPARTMENT ANTICIPATING AS FOLKS GO TO TEXAS AND GO TO NEW MEXICO AND CALIFORNIA, THAT SOMETHING MIGHT HAPPEN HERE IN THE NEXT FEW WEEKS?

>> I'M A LITTLE LESS CONCERNED ABOUT SPRING BREAK THAN I AM ABOUT INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL.

I THINK PEOPLE ARE PAYING ATTENTION IN TEXAS.

I THINK WE NEED TO BE PAYING ATTENTION, AND I APPRECIATE THE OPPORTUNITY TO GET THE WORD OUT.

CERTAINLY IF YOU END UP GOING AND VISITING AND STAYING IN A COMMUNITY THAT HAS MEASLES CIRCULATING AND VERY LOW POPULATION IMMUNITY, IT IS A RISK.

BUT TEXAS IS A BIG STATE.

AND ONE THING WE DO WANT PEOPLE TO KNOW WHEN THEY TRAVEL, THEY SHOULD CHECK ON WHETHER THEY ARE UP TO DATE ON MEASLES VACCINE.

>> Eric: APPRECIATE YOU COMING BY.