State health officials say three sibling children from Anoka County were confirmed to have measles after they sought care at Hennepin County Medical Center.

The children developed symptoms shortly after returning from a European country where “measles are common,” the health department said in a press release Friday.

Visitors and patients who were at the hospital from 11 p.m. May 21 to 6 a.m. May 22 may have been exposed to the virus, according to the Minnesota Department of Health. The hospital and health department are working to contact people who were at the hospital at that time. There are no known exposures to school or child care facilities.

Anyone who believes they might have been exposed should first check their vaccination status. If they are pregnant or immunocompromised they should contact their regular health care provider, state health officials said.

Unvaccinated people who were at the hospital during those times are at risk of getting measles and might develop symptoms seven to 21 days after being exposed, which in this instance would be between May 28 and June 12.

Initial symptoms include high fever, cough, runny nose and watery eyes followed by a rash that typically spreads from the head to the rest of the body and begins two to three days after the fever begins.

Measles can be a serious disease leading to hospitalization and other complications. It is one of the most contagious diseases and can spread by coughing, talking or being in the same room as someone who has it. People who are vaccinated are at very low risk for contracting measles, health officials said.

The three recent cases bring Minnesota’s total measles cases this year to nine.

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