Health officials in Chicago, Illinois, reported a second case of measles in the city on Friday. This time, the incident occurred at the same immigrant shelter where a 5-year-old boy died in December.
Officials said the child of the illegal border crosser had been infected with a communicable disease, but the infection was not detected until after the child was no longer contagious. This means that all 1,876 migrants in the shelter were exposed to infectious diseases in the weeks before they crossed the border.Announcements, NewsNation report Friday.
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This is the second case of measles detected in the Windy City since 2019.
The outbreak was discovered in a large shelter inside a converted warehouse in the Pilsen district. This facility was the same facility where 5-year-old Jean Carlos Martinez Rivero became ill and died in December 2023.
Chicago 25th Ward Alderman Byron Sigcho-Lopez said his immediate concern is to warn anyone who may have come into contact with the infected child in the last month.
“Right now, it is important to have a quarantine plan in place because of the potential for exposure to a fast-spreading virus like measles,” said Councilman Sigcho Lopez. “People will need to isolate while being tested and we will learn more about the assessment while people are evacuated and we await test results.”
Migrants stay in a temporary shelter operated by a private company hired by the city at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport on September 20, 2023. (AP Photo/Erin Hooley)
The city is also reportedly currently trying to determine which vaccines residents at the shelter received and when, and assess what risks they pose to city residents and each other.
Measles is often called a “childhood disease” because children are most susceptible to it (though they’re not the only ones at risk), and it begins with symptoms such as high fever, cough, red, watery eyes, and runny nose. . From there, white spots appear in the mouth, after which a rash may appear on the skin. report.
Small raised bumps may appear on top of flat red spots, and this is when the disease is most contagious. It is transmitted not only through the air through coughing and sneezing, but also through contact.
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The virus can survive floating in the air for up to two hours after an infected person leaves the area.
Measles outbreaks will explode in the United States in 2024.
Since February 29, 41 cases of infection have been confirmed. report According to WMAQ-TV, it was broadcast in 16 U.S. states: Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York City, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington.
Meanwhile, only 58 cases were reported in all of 2023.
Migrants wait for a bus to Chicago from Eagle Pass, Texas, on September 26, 2023. (ANDREW CABALLERO-REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images)
The Illinois Department of Public Health issued a statement informing the public that shelter residents are being evaluated for vaccination status.
Following the confirmation of a case of measles in a young child at a new immigrant shelter in Chicago, the state of Illinois is calling on state agency leaders to support ongoing efforts to assess the situation at the shelter. convene a working group of people to assess the situation in evacuation centers and vaccinate and test residents.
At the direction of Governor JB Pritzker, the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), Illinois Department of Health (DHS), Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) and other departments collaborate to support the Chicago Department of Public Health. We are mobilizing the necessary resources. (CDPH) and the City of Chicago.
The state has already sent medical team staff to shelters to assist with assessments, provide testing resources, and provide a highly effective measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine. According to the CDC, one dose of the MMR vaccine is 93% effective against measles, and two doses are 97% effective if exposed.
“Most Chicago and Illinois residents were routinely vaccinated during childhood and therefore were not at high risk. Of greatest concern are those who have not been vaccinated. The MMR vaccine It is available at most health care provider offices and pharmacies. Under Illinois law, children age 7 and older in Illinois can receive MMR injections at pharmacies,” the department concluded.
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