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A second case of measles in Cook County is the first in the city of Chicago and the eighth in the state of Illinois since the beginning of the year, according to health authorities.
Elena Ivanova, a spokeswoman for the city of Chicago, confirmed the first case of measles in that city in an email on Sunday. She stated that the patient "is an international traveler who was in several countries affected by measles outbreaks."
The traveler passed through O'Hare International Airport and people from across the city were exposed to measles Thursday or Friday on public transit, retail stores and the University of Illinois in Chicago, according to a press release. Health officials said the exposure could have occurred:
- May 16 on public transit from Chicago O'Hare International Airport to the University of Illinois on the Chicago campus;
- May 16 in the Loop and Millennium Park;
- May 16 in the retail stores of South Canal Street and State Street between Monroe and Randolph Streets;
- and May 17 at UIC Student Center East.
Ivanova said the city was working closely with the health facility to inform anyone likely to have been exposed to measles.
"The Chicago Department of Public Health works closely with high-risk areas to identify all those who may have been exposed and to ensure that these individuals are immunized or prevented from doing so." are taken if they are not, "she wrote. in an email.
Ivanova said Chicago had one of the highest vaccination rates in the country against measles, mumps and rubella. Most children and adults in Chicago are protected from measles, she said.
The first case of measles in Cook County was in March. According to the US Centers for Disease Control, there have been 839 measles cases this year, more than any other year since 1994.
Earlier this month, The Lancet Infectious Diseases released a study by researchers at the University of Texas at Austin, in which Cook County was ranked as the most vulnerable county in the country in case of 39, measles epidemic.
Ivanova said that among people traveling outside the United States or to US sites with active outbreaks, the following should receive the vaccine:
- Infants aged 6 to 11 months should receive a dose of MMR vaccine.
- Children 12 months and older should receive two doses of MMR vaccine separated by at least 28 days.
- Adults who do not show evidence of immunity to measles should receive two doses of MMR vaccine separated by at least 28 days.
- Adults with documentation of a dose of MMR vaccine should receive a second dose.
Ivanova said the measles vaccine was safe and effective. It is also readily available in health facilities, including pharmacies and grocery stores in Chicago. The MMR vaccination sites can be found at www.vaccines.gov/getting/where.
Measles begins with a fever that can become very high. Some of the other possible symptoms are coughing, runny nose, red eyes, diarrhea and a rash of tiny red spots that start in the head and spread to the rest of the body, said Ivanova.
For more information on measles, contact your health care provider or visit www.cityofchicago.org/measles.
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