CHICAGO (WBBM NEWSRADIO) — Chicago saw four new measles cases over the past week, with two new cases reported Friday for a total of 17 cases in 2024, according to data from the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH).
As a response to measles cases continuing to rise in the city, CDPH has launched a new digital dashboard and has continued to ramp up its vaccination efforts, officials said.
So far, the majority of the cases have been reported at the new arrivals shelter located on Halsted Street in Pilsen, though the CDPH dashboard shows that additional exposure sites have included multiple Chicago Transit Authority bus routes, two local hospitals and two elementary schools.
The hospitals were Swedish Hospital Galter Medical Pavilion and the Cook County Health Professional Building. The schools were Armour Elementary School and Peter Cooper Elementary Dual Language Academy.
On the CDPH measles dashboard, Chicagoans can find more information about measles, where and how to get vaccinated, what to do in the event of an exposure, and more.
Officials said 11 of the 17 confirmed cases have been in children under the age of 5, and they added that the demographics underscore “the critical importance of the vaccine in fighting the spread of this highly infectious disease.”
In a press release, health officials said the vaccine remains the best and most effective way to stop the spread of measles. CDPH workers have administered nearly 4,000 doses of the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine to individuals at the Pilsen new arrivals shelter.
The MMR vaccine is available at many doctor’s offices and pharmacies, as well as at CDPH immunization clinics. At CDPH clinics, children between 0 – 18 years old and uninsured adults over the age of 19 can get the vaccine for no out-of-pocket cost. In Illinois, children must be at least 7 years old to get vaccinated at pharmacies.
More information can be found here.
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