There have now been three more measles infections at a Chicago migrant shelter, increasing the city’s total this year to five cases.
Two individuals at the shelter were diagnosed and listed as stable on Monday by the Chicago Department of Public Health. This came after news on Sunday that a little girl staying at the shelter had been hospitalized with measles but was doing well.
The youngster studies at the public Philip D. Armour Elementary School. School-age shelter residents were instructed by the health department not to go to school on Friday or Monday.
In a statement to families on Monday, Pedro Martinez, the CEO of Chicago Public Schools, said, “Students with confirmed vaccinations will be notified of the date to return to school once a student’s vaccination status has been verified.”
As a response to potential measles exposures, the school system said that it is collaborating with the health department.
“CPS provides multiple opportunities for vaccination as well as resources for community-based services and we work closely with families to help them be up-to-date on all vaccinations,” added the statement.
The health service reports that the small kid who was the first measles case found at the shelter has recovered and is no longer contagious.
The first measles case of the year in Chicago was reported on Thursday, and it doesn’t seem connected to the others: As of Wednesday, according to health authorities, the resident of Chicago was not contagious.
with an attempt to help with efforts to stop the disease’s spread, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said that it is sending a team of specialists to Chicago; they should arrive on Tuesday.
Although Cook County, which encompasses Chicago, documented five instances in an apartment building last year, these cases are the first to be reported in Chicago since 2019.
In recent months, measles cases have increased worldwide, in part because of a drop in vaccination rates. With at least 45 incidents so far this year, the United States is on pace to exceed the 58 occurrences reported in 2023.
Nine cases were reported in Pennsylvania in December and January, while an epidemic in Florida reached 10 cases in the previous month. However, the state health agency reports that since February 16, there haven’t been any new cases at the primary school at the core of the Florida epidemic.
A youngster in Sacramento may have exposed around 300 individuals to measles at an emergency room on Tuesday; three cases have also been identified in California.
At the migrant shelter in the Pilsen section of the city, immunization teams have been giving out vaccines and conducting measles screenings since Friday, according to the Chicago health department. According to the government, almost all of the shelter inhabitants had assessments completed over the weekend, and over 900 received vaccinations.
Quarantining for 21 days was mandated for shelter inhabitants who are not yet vaccinated, were recently vaccinated, or are not sure whether they are vaccinated.
Chicago Public Health Commissioner Dr. Simbo Ige stated in a statement on Sunday, “We have advised all unvaccinated and newly vaccinated residents of the quarantine period but some of those residents have left the shelter, and I want to acknowledge that.”
According to the health authorities, some occupants of shelters are being moved to other locations or hotel rooms based on their immunity level and the need for quarantine, as of Monday.
Officials said that as part of their admission procedure, migrants at other shelters and those coming in Chicago would also be eligible for the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccination.
If given within 72 hours of exposure to the measles, the MMR vaccination may prevent infection in an unvaccinated individual who hasn’t yet shown symptoms. Within six days of exposure, immune globulin, a preventative injection, may be administered.
Measles is very infectious; an infected individual may infect up to 90% of individuals in their immediate vicinity if those contacts are not immune, and the illness can linger in the body for around eight days.
Martinez wrote to parents in Chicago, advising them to check that their children’s vaccination records are current at their schools. Through the Vax Verify service from the Illinois Department of Public Health, parents may review vaccination records for anybody who has been vaccinated in the state since 2007.
at the 2022–2023 school year, less than 95% of students at hundreds of Chicago schools had the MMR vaccine, according to data from the Illinois State Board of Education.
Across the country, school vaccination rates have decreased. In the 2022–2023 school year, 93% of kindergarten students in the United States had gotten two doses of the MMR vaccination. This is a decrease from 94% in the 2020–2021 year and 95% for over ten years before to that.
The first measles vaccination should be given to children in the United States between the ages of 12 and 15 months, and the second vaccination between the ages of 4 and 6. The CDC states that two doses are 97% effective and one dosage is 93% effective.
A high fever, runny nose, conjunctivitis (pink eye), and cough are among the signs and symptoms of measles. Tiny white spots in the mouth are often seen two to three days after symptoms begin. Blotchy rash often appears from head to toe between days three and five.
Unless there are serious side effects, which might include brain swelling, pneumonia, or recurrent bacterial infections, symptoms usually last 10 days.
Approximately 1 to 3 of every 1,000 children who have the measles pass away from respiratory and neurological issues. Rarely, measles may cause permanent visual issues or even blindness.
NEWS COLLECTED: NBC NEWS
