Measles are so contagious that if a person catches the infection, nine out of 10 people around him or her will end up infected, too, if they aren’t protected through vaccination, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Not only is measles highly contagious, the respiratory virus can be serious in both children and adults, with potential complications including pneumonia, encephalitis (swelling of the brain, which can cause convulsions) and hospitalization. All of which explains why the recent outbreak of dozens of cases across the country, including here in Illinois, should be taken seriously.
As of March 7, the CDC reported 45 cases in 17 states, which is dangerously close to the 58 cases in 20 states reported for all of 2023.
This is no time for vaccine hesitancy, and especially for any revival of the repeatedly debunked myth/conspiracy theory that the measles vaccine causes autism.
Here in Chicago, 10 out of the 12 recent confirmed measles cases have been identified in the Halsted Street migrant shelter in Pilsen. That’s the same shelter where a 5-year-old boy became ill and died from sepsis in December.
So far, there have been no fatalities tied to the outbreak. But there’s always the risk the disease could potentially spread further, especially at the shelter, where residents are living in close quarters. Just one cough or a sneeze could lead to more cases there.
CDC experts arrived in Chicago earlier this week to help public health officials mitigate the disease, which is a good sign.
The city’s public health department, which reported its first measles case since 2019 last week, had already jumped into action after the subsequent cases turned up at the Halsted Street shelter. More than 900 residents were vaccinated there over the weekend, and the health department has started vaccinating anyone without immunity at the new arrival landing zone and sending staffers to other shelters to vaccinate more migrants.
Hopefully, with this aggressive action and the CDC’s additional assistance, the measles flare-up can be contained.
But Chicagoans who might be tempted to brush off the measles threat as a mostly “migrant problem” should think twice.
While most Chicagoans and Illinois residents are protected through routine childhood immunizations, an increasing number of children aren’t receiving the MMR (combined measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine, which is up to 97% effective against the disease.
As we pointed out last month, the number of under-vaccinated schools — schools in which vaccination rates were lower than the 95% recommended by the CDC — jumped 77%, from 497 in 2019 to 882 by the start of the 2022 school year, a CBS 2 analysis of data from the Illinois State Board of Education and Chicago Public Schools found.
Based on those statistics, it should come as no surprise two CPS students are among the 12 who caught the measles.
Parents, take note: The MMR vaccine is available at clinics, medical provider’s offices and pharmacies, and children 6 months and older can get vaccinated.
Children younger than 5 are among the groups most likely to suffer complications from the disease, including ear infections, diarrhea and other more severe complications. The measles virus can also create a form of “immune amnesia” that can leave children at an increased risk of illness from other diseases in the future, studies have shown.
“A measles infection is playing Russian roulette with a child’s immune system,” according to Dr. Michael Mina, an assistant professor of epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Mina was the lead author of a 2019 study that found long-term damage to the immune systems of children who were infected with measles.
Getting a jab to keep others safe isn’t too much to ask. Vaccination is Chicago’s best shot at keep the measles at bay.
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The case has no known connection to the Chicago measles outbreak at a migrant shelter, according to health officials.
By Mary Norkol
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Three cases were detected in the last week after the city recorded more than 50 in less than a month.
By Kade Heather
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The resident was exposed during their time at a migrant shelter. They have recovered and are no longer contagious, the Cook County Department of Public Health said.
The Chicago Department of Public Health would not reveal the number of TB cases or identify shelters. A health department spokesperson said, “I would not characterize this as an outbreak.”
Children ages 4 and younger account for 21 of the city’s total cases, according to the Chicago Department of Public Health. Officials say vaccination is the best way to prevent measles and stop its spread.
By Kade Heather
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Residents at the Pilsen migrant shelter should receive a second measles shot 28 days after their first one, the city’s Department of Public Health advised.
The city began evicting migrants from its 23 shelters, affecting potentially 2,000 people by the end of April. Alderpersons are calling for a halt and greater transparency.
By Michael Loria
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The newest cases were both in children 4 years or younger, the same age group that has accounted for more than half of the city’s cases.
By Kade Heather
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Dozens of adults were expected to be evicted Sunday, amid an outbreak of measles, but just three were. They will be able to reapply for shelter at the city’s designated ‘landing zone.’
By Michael Loria
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Beginning with 35 individuals Sunday, more than 2,000 people will be evicted by the end of April, the city announced Friday. Families will get a break until the end of the school year.
An untold number of migrants are expected to have to leave shelters Saturday, and what comes next is a mystery to many — perhaps “la calle,” one man said, gesturing toward Halsted Street.
By Michael Loria
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Earlier this week, Chicago Public Schools learned of a positive measles case involving a student at Philip D. Armour Elementary School, and the Chicago Department of Public Health confirmed another case at Cooper Dual Language Elementary Academy.
By Mohammad Samra
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Illinois is one of 17 states in which dozens of measles cases have been reported this year, including eight cases in a Chicago migrant shelter.
Chicago’s mayor said the 60-day limit on shelter stays would, after previous delays, finally be enforced Saturday, impacting potentially thousands. There would, however, continue to be exemptions.
The Illinois Health Department said Tuesday it would mobilize resources to help Chicago and Cook County contain the spread of the virus.
The newest cases were both in adults at the shelter. The city’s total number of cases is up to five, the city health department says. More than 900 residents of the shelter were vaccinated over the weekend and are being quarantined for 21 days.
By Violet Miller
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The city health agency is currently screening other residents of the shelter at 2241 S. Halsted St. and those who may have come in contact with the children while they were contagious, officials said in a Sunday news release.
By Violet Miller
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Dozens gathered Saturday in Pritzker Park to protest Mayor Brandon Johnson’s long-delayed plan to evict migrants living in shelters longer than 60 days. The order will go into effect March 16.
By Erica Thompson
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Chicago health department officials said the patient has recovered and is no longer contagious. The shelter is on lockdown until residents are vaccinated, officials said.
By Michael Loria
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Measles is a highly transmissible respiratory disease that can be prevented through the MMR vaccine.
None of the 23 measles cases in the U.S. between Dec. 1 and Jan. 23 were in Illinois. But the first measles cases since 2019 were reported in Cook County last year, and Illinois has seen an alarming uptick in the number of schools with low vaccination rates.
The person, who was exposed to the virus in another country, was unvaccinated, the IDPH said.
By Kade Heather
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