Second case of measles found in child at Pilsen shelter, city's third case this week

A second child living at a Pilsen migrant shelter has been diagosed with measles, the Chicago Department of Public Health announced Sunday; it's the city’s third case of measles in a week.

The city health agency is currently screening other residents of the shelter, at 2241 S. Halsted St., and those who may have come in contact with the children while they were contagious, officials said in a Sunday news release. Others are being screened for symptoms, and the city said it's working to get more people vaccinated.

The Pilsen facility is the same shelter where one boy died and several other children were hospitalized after becoming sick in December.

City health department commissioner Olusimbo Ige said she expects to see more cases due to how contagious the virus is and urged residents to get vaccinated, which the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also says is the best way to stay protected.

“The majority of Chicagoans are vaccinated against measles and therefore are not at high risk, but we are strongly urging those who aren’t vaccinated to do so as soon as possible,” Ige said.

The city’s health agency is offering free MMR vaccinations for children and uninsured adults at clinics around the city.

Initial symptoms — such as high fever, cough, runny nose and red or watery eyes — usually appear within a week or two of exposure to the virus, according to the CDC. The rash the virus is known for generally shows up three to five days after initial symptoms begin.

The "highly infectious" virus is spread through coughing, sneezing or contact with an infected person, and the virus can live for up to two hours in the air after an infected person has left, according to the CDC. Those with the virus can spread it up to four days before and after a rash appears, and 90% of people without immunity who are exposed to the virus become infected.

The first child who was diagnosed has recovered and is no longer infectious, city officials said. A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention team is being sent to assist the city in responding to the infections.

On Thursday, the city identified an unrelated case of the virus, the first since 2019, according to city health officials. The source of the infection is unknown.

Residents of the Pilsen shelter who have been vaccinated will be able to come and go from the shelter, but those who haven’t been vaccinated or were recently vaccinated will have to quarantine for 21 days and watch for symptoms, city health officials said.

Ige cautioned that some residents of the shelter have been outside since the outbreak began, and she urged those who may have been exposed to quarantine.

“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,” Ige said.

People who were at these locations on Feb. 27 may have been exposed to the person with the first reported measles case in the city and should call the health department at (312) 743-7216:

• 8:30 a.m.-noon at Swedish Hospital’s Galter Medical Pavilion
• 9:15-11:30 a.m. on CTA bus No. 92 (Foster)

As of Thursday, 41 measles cases had been reported in 16 states, which didn't include the two most recent cases in Chicago, according to the CDC. There were 58 total cases in 2023.