On Monday, Chicago health officials announced a new policy for residents at the Pilsen migrant shelter regarding the measles vaccine. According to the officials, individuals should receive a second dose of the vaccine 28 days after the first shot. This decision was made due to the increasing number of measles cases among young children at the Halsted Street shelter.
The city of Chicago has reported 26 measles cases, with 19 of them being in children under five years old. Most of these cases have been linked to the Pilsen migrant shelter. CDPH commissioner Olusimbo Ige stated that children are at a higher risk of contracting breakthrough measles after receiving only one dose of the vaccine, especially those under five years old. The goal is to protect young children from contracting measles by ensuring they receive two doses of the MMR vaccine.
Under this new policy, families with children between one and five years old at the shelter are advised to keep them at home until 21 days after receiving their second dose or until 21 days after their last exposure if they cannot receive it. This will impact around 50 children at the shelter, all of whom have already received at least one dose of the vaccine.
The initial symptoms of measles include a high fever, cough, runny nose, red or watery eyes, and a rash that may appear three to five days after initial symptoms begin. The virus is highly infectious and can be spread through coughing, sneezing or contact with an infected person. It can live for up to two hours in the air and infected individuals can spread it up to four days before and after a rash appears according to CDC reports.
In response to this outbreak, CDC has sent a team to assist Chicago in responding
