Measles Cases Grow To 67 In Chicago, Suburban Cook County

CHICAGO — Public health officials are alerting residents to possible measles exposures in public places in Chicago and suburban Cook County. According to a Chicago Department of Public Health dashboard, these venues include buses, trains, restaurants, retail centers and churches.

Measles is a highly contagious virus that is passed through air, causing a high fever, stuffy nose, red, watery eyes and a rash. Infants and adults usually are sicker than children and teenagers. In a worst case scenario, deaths from measles in the United States have occurred at a rate of about two to three per 1,000 cases in recent years. These deaths occur mainly in children younger than 5 years of age, primarily from pneumonia and occasionally from encephalitis. Other complications include ear problems, diarrhea and brain damage.

Earlier this year, the World Health Organization warned aboutglobal outbreaks of measles tied to falling vaccination rates. CDC issued an alert in January about cases popping up in the U.S., mostly among kids and teens who weren't vaccinated, Axios reported.

The City of Chicago claims to have one of the largest vaccination rates for measles, mumps and rubella in the nation, with 17,782 MMR doses administered since March, with 2,023 MMR doses recorded the week of April 14 through April 20. Vaccines administered to Chicago residents are reported to the Illinois Comprehensive Automated Immunization Registry Exchange.

Measles cases first appeared in March at a shelter in Pilsen where asylum seekers were staying, prompting a team from the CDC to come to Chicago to help deal with the outbreak. As of Tuesday, 64 cases have been documented according to the CDPH dashboard that is updated daily, and three in suburban Cook.

In Will County, two measles cases have been documented in 2024, and one each in Lake County (IL) and Dupage County measles cases were reported, compared to 2023 when five cases were reported to IDPH. In 2019, nine cases were documented.

As late as April 10, the public was alerted to a possible measles exposure at Super Mercado Torres in west suburban Cicero, and on April 9 in south suburban Evergreen Park. Earlier in March, an exposure was noted at the Walmart Supercenter in Bedford Park.

CDPH and partners have identified the following exposure locations in public settings since March 2024:

Source: CDPH

Contact the Cook County Department of Public Health and your health care provider right away if you become ill and have a high fever (above 101 F), cough, runny nose and red eyes with or without a skin rash at 708-836-8699 and your health care provider. Before going o a medical office or emergency room, call to arrange for medical evaluation so as not to put other patients and medical staff at risk of measles exposure.

If you are vaccinated or have had measles before, your risk of developing measles is considered low. Most children are eligible to receive their first dose of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine at 12 months old. People who were born before 1957 were likely infected naturally and therefore are presumed to be protected against measles.