Two more cases of measles were identified Sunday in a Pilsen migrant shelter. This follows the two cases diagnosed last week, according to city health officials.
The newest cases were both in adults at the shelter and bring the city’s total number of cases to five.
Two cases were previously found in children at the shelter, and another case was identified in a person outside the shelter Feb. 27, the city’s first case since 2019. The Pilsen facility is the same shelter where one boy died and several other children were hospitalized after becoming sick in December.
“Because some Chicagoans on the whole are unvaccinated, there remains an opportunity for the virus to spread,” city health officials said in a Monday statement. “CDPH is, therefore, treating this response as a citywide one and is calling on all eligible unvaccinated residents to get vaccinated now.”
More than 900 residents of the shelter were vaccinated over the weekend and are being quarantined for 21 days, city health officials said. Another 700 at the shelter already had immunity and have been allowed to leave the shelter and return.
Dozens of residents of the shelter who had immunity from vaccines or prior infection were moved to another location Sunday to quarantine, city health officials said. Others at the shelter are also being moved into hotels to quarantine.
The city health department is now vaccinating anyone without immunity at the new arrival landing zone and sending staff to other shelters to continue to vaccinate people, city health officials said.
Initial symptoms — such as high fever, cough, runny nose and red or watery eyes — usually appear within a week or two of exposure to the virus, according to the CDC. The rash shows up three to five days after initial symptoms begin.
The “highly infectious” virus is spread through coughing, sneezing or contact with an infected person, and the virus can live for up to two hours in the air after an infected person has left, according to the CDC. Those with the virus can spread it up to four days before and after a rash appears, and 90% of people without immunity who are exposed to the virus become infected.
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention team is being sent to assist the city in responding to the infections.
“As long as measles circulates in Chicago, we will continue to take a proactive approach to protecting as many people as we can from this highly infectious disease,” said CDPH Commissioner Dr. Olusimbo Ige. “Vaccination remains by far the most effective way to prevent the spread of measles. New arrivals and all Chicagoans should get the MMR vaccine if they haven’t already.”
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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