Q. What's new?
A. Six cases have been confirmed in Minneapolis since February.
Q. What is measles?
A. It's a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by a virus.
Q. What are the symptoms?
A. Fever, runny nose, cough and a rash that begins at the hair line and spreads down the face, neck and body.
(To see photos of the rash, go to www.cdc.gov/measles/about/photos.html)
Q. How dangerous is it?
A. About 1 in 20 get pneumonia; 1 in 1,000 die of complications.
Q. Who's at risk?
A. Infants under age 1 (who are too young to be vaccinated); children and adults who have not been vaccinated; pregnant women (measles can cause miscarriage or premature birth).
Q. Wasn't measles eradicated in the United States?
A. Largely, yes. But around the world, it affects an estimated 10 million people worldwide every year, and causes 197,000 deaths.
Q. Can it be prevented?
A. Yes. The vaccine is typically given to children between 12-15 months of age, with a booster shot at age 4-6. The booster can be given as soon as four weeks after the first shot.
Q. Why the safety concerns?
A. Medical studies have debunked research that appeared to link the vaccine to higher rates of autism, but suspicion lingers, in part because the cause of autism is unknown.
Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; Minnesota Department of Health.For more information: www.cdc.gov/measles;
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