2 more measles cases bring Chicago’s outbreak total to 15

Two more cases of measles were reported this week in Chicago, bringing the city’s current outbreak to 15 total cases.

The newest cases were both in children ages 4 or younger. The Chicago Department of Public Health reported them Monday.

Many of the cases in the outbreak were identified at a migrant shelter in Pilsen, the same facility where a boy died and other children were hospitalized with illnesses amid complaints of unsanitary and overcrowded conditions in December.

The Illinois Department of Public Health has provided rooms at a nearby hotel to quarantine people from the migrant shelter who have been exposed to measles but have not shown symptoms.

Last week, two Chicago Public Schools students at Philip D. Armour Elementary School in Bridgeport and Cooper Dual Language Elementary Academy in Pilsen were among a handful of additional cases.

More than half of the cases have been in children 4 years or younger, while about a third were in adults 18 to 49 years old, according to the city.

The outbreak this month comprised the first measles cases reported in Chicago since 2019.

Cases of the disease have been on the rise across the country since late last year. The U.S. has reported 58 measles cases so far this year, already matching last year’s total, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Measles, a highly contagious airborne virus, can be serious, especially in children younger than 5. Symptoms include rash, high fever, cough, runny nose, and red, watery eyes, health officials said. Symptoms can take up to 21 days to appear after exposure.

Health officials recommend vaccination against measles to combat the illness.

Chicago measles coverage

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