Measles Outbreak Grows in Chicago with Four new Cases Reported at Migrant Shelter

Chicago authorities reported four cases of measles in a migrant shelter over the past few days, three of them on Monday. All people affected were in stable or good condition.

One of them is a child who attends Philip D. Armour Elementary School. The city's health department advised school-aged children who reside in shelters not to attend class on Friday or Monday

"Once a student's vaccination status has been verified, students with confirmed vaccinations will be notified of the date to return to school," Pedro Martinez, the CEO of Chicago Public Schools, said in a letter to families on Monday, according to NBC News.

"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," it added.

Health authorities have been screening shelter residents and administering more than 900 vaccines since Friday. Those unvaccinated or whose status was not certain were instructed to quarantine for 21 days. Some are being relocated to alternative sites depending on their immunity status and quarantine requirements.

NBC News reported that the initial cases at the shelter was a young child's, not school-aged, who has already recovered. The overall amount of cases in the city is five, and the first ones since 2019.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said it will send a team of experts to assess the situation and help control the spreading of the infectious disease.

Several areas of the U.S. are dealing with measles outbreaks, having recorded at least 45 cases so far this year and putting it on track to surpass last year's 58. A large percentage of them have taken place in Florida, with 10, and Pennsylvania, with nine cases.

The spike has been largely attributed to a decline in vaccine coverage. NBC News reported that "the share of U.S. kindergartners who had received two doses of the MMR vaccine was 93% in the 2022–23 school year, down from 94% in the 2020–21 year, and 95% for nearly 10 years before that."

Measles is highly contagious, and an infected person can spread it to up to 90% of the people close to them if they are not immune. People can stay infectious for some eight days. If an unvaccinated person is exposed and hasn't developed symptoms, and MMR vaccine can prevent infection if the dose is administered within 72 hours. Moreover, a preventive injection called immune globulin can be given within six days of exposure.