Minnesota is currently experiencing its largest measles outbreak in 25 years.

In April and May 2017, 70 cases were confirmed in Minnesota. In 2016,

70 total cases were reported in the United States, including two in Minnesota.

Public health and health care workers are relying extensively on the Minnesota

Immunization Information Connection (MIIC), Minnesota’s IIS, to help with

the outbreak response.

The measles outbreak cases are associated with over 8,000 health care, child care

and school exposures. Public health and health care workers use MIIC’s consolidated

vaccination records to help determine the immunization status of exposed persons.

These records save precious time by alleviating the need to contact multiple providers to determine

vaccination history.

MIIC’s list-based feature has been a critical tool in the outbreak response. This feature helps quickly

determine immunization statuses for multiple individuals by matching an uploaded list of individuals

to MIIC vaccination records. The list contains name and date of birth and has a high match rate to

MIIC records.

Many providers are using the outbreak as an opportunity to conduct reminder and recall activities to

patients who need an MMR vaccine. Providers use MIIC’s client follow-up feature to determine which

patients are due or overdue for an MMR vaccine based on Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices

(ACIP) recommendations. Client follow-up has several output options, including a PDF client report,

printable mailing labels, and a CSV file to use for mail merges. The Minnesota Department of Health

(MDH) is also using this feature to help providers identify patients recommended for accelerated MMR

vaccination based on exposure status.

During the outbreak, MDH is closely tracking MMR vaccine administration and Vaccines for Children

ordering trends in MIIC. From January through March 2017, an average of 2,700 doses of MMR were

administered in Minnesota per week. In April and May, that average increased to 6,500 doses, with a peak

of 9,900 doses administered the week of May 15.

While MIIC does not have a direct consumer access option, MDH provides MIIC vaccination records upon

request via phone or REDCap form. Many Minnesota residents have been contacting MDH during the

outbreak to request records. From January through March 2017, MDH received an average of 135 requests

per week. In April and May, requests increased by 75 percent to an average of 235 per week. On average,

95 percent of requested records are found in MIIC.

MIIC has been critical to the efficiency and effectiveness of Minnesota’s outbreak response. MDH is continuing

to assess ways to expand MIIC’s use during this outbreak and in preparation for future outbreaks. n