Tag Archives: measles

CPS: Possible mumps case reported at North Side school

Mar 8, 2017 | WLSAM Staff

(CHICAGO) Authorities are investigating a possible case of mumps at an Andersonville neighborhood elementary school on the North Side.

Chicago Public Schools notified parents on Monday about a case of mumps at Helen C. Peirce School of International Studies, 1423 W. Bryn Mawr Ave., according to the district. The case has not been confirmed and the Chicago Department of Public Health considers it a preliminary diagnosis.

“CPS is supporting the Chicago Department of Public Health as it investigates a potential case of mumps,” a statement from CPS said. “A diagnosis has not been confirmed, and we will work with the Department of Public Health to institute any necessary precautionary measures.”

The notification comes in the same week that three cases of the highly contagious disease were confirmed at Barrington High School, along with a fourth unrelated case in the suburb, according to the Lake County Health Department.

Seven additional cases are considered “probable” and 20 more were deemed “suspect” at two high schools, two middle schools and elsewhere in the surrounding area, health officials said.

Mumps is passed through saliva and mucus, especially by sharing cups or other items, officials said. Up to half of people who contract the virus at first show mild or no symptoms, which include fever, headache, loss of appetite and tender salivary glands under the ears.

© Copyright 2017 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved.

15th case of measles confirmed in Cook County – UPDATE

Feb 25, 2015 |

(CHICAGO) An adult in suburban Cook County has tested positive for measles, state and county health officials said Wednesday.

There have now been 15 cases of measles in Illinois, all in Cook County. Most of these have had ties to a KinderCare daycare center in Palatine.

But the Cook County Department of Public Health said, “as of now, we have no direct link to any of the previously reported measles cases.”

Sean McDermott, a spokesman for the Cook County Department of Public Health, said the source of the infection is unknown, as well as if the new person who was infected was vaccinated or not.

The Cook County Department of Public Health is in the process of identifying personal contacts of this new person, who lives in northern suburban Cook County, they said.

Potential exposures in suburban Cook County may have occurred to:

— Customers at LaRosita Laundromat (1212 E. Dundee Rd. Palatine) on February 16, 2015 between 7:00 am and 12:30 pm.

— Patients and visitors at the Vista Clinic (1585 North Rand Road, Palatine) on February 19, 2015 between 9:00 am and 4:00 pm.

Of the 15 cases so far, 13 have been associated with KinderCare Learning Center, including one child in Chicago. All of the children were too young to be vaccinated, the Illinois Department of Public Health has said. But one was an adult who also had not been vaccinated, Cook County Department of Public Health has said.

An adult who had no ties to KinderCare was the first case reported in Illinois, in January. That person had not been vaccinated either, the county health department said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said last week that eight of the daycare center cases were tied to the outbreak in December at Disneyland, which had infected 141 at that time, the Associated Press says.

News of the cluster of cases at KinderCare broke in early February. The national daycare chain has since mandated that all staff members be vaccinated.

Measles is highly contagious and state health officials urged residents to make sure they are current on their vaccinations.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says children should be given the first dose of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine when they are 12 to 15 months old. The second dose usually is given before the start of kindergarten at 4 to 6 years of age.

— Chicago Sun-Times

© Copyright 2015 Sun-Times Media, LLC

14th person diagnosed with measles in Illinois

Feb 17, 2015 |

(Chicago)  Another infant at the KinderCare facility in Palatine has been diagnosed with measles, officials said Tuesday.

That brings the measles count in Illinois to 14, the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting.

Thirteen of the 14 cases are associated with a KinderCare Learning Center in Palatine.

The children all were reported as being under 1 year old, and therefore, too young to be vaccinated.

News of the cluster of cases at KinderCare broke two weeks ago. The national daycare chain has since made it mandatory that all staff members be vaccinated.

© Copyright 2015 Sun-Times Media, LLC

Two more Cook County measles cases bring state total to 13

Feb 14, 2015 |

(Chicago)  Two more suburban Cook County children have been diagnosed with measles, bringing the total number of confirmed cases to 13 in Illinois, officials said Friday.

Both of the two new cases confirmed Friday are children under one year old who were both associated with KinderCare Learning Center in Palatine, according to Divya Mohan Little, a spokeswoman for the Illinois Department of Public Health.

All 13 cases reported statewide are from Cook County, health officials said. Of those cases, 12 have been tied to the suburban daycare center, most occurring in children too young to be vaccinated.

Illinois health officials are still trying to figure out how the people became infected with the measles virus. No ties have been found to the December outbreak at Disneyland in California, health officials said.

None of the people infected so far in Illinois had been vaccinated for measles, health officials said.

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease that can cause severe health complications, including pneumonia, encephalitis and death.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says children should be given the first dose of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine when they are 12 to 15 months old. The second dose usually is given before the start of kindergarten at 4 to 6 years of age.

The DuPage County health department had warned of possible exposure at three locations, but the state health department has not confirmed any cases there as of Friday afternoon.

© Copyright 2015 Sun-Times Media, LLC

Another suburban Cook County child has measles; 11 cases confirmed in state

Feb 12, 2015 |

(PALATINE) Another suburban Cook County child has been confirmed to have measles, bringing the total to 11 people in Illinois, officials said Wednesday.

Ten people who have been infected with measles are associated with KinderCare Learning Center in Palatine, including this new case, the Sun-Times is reporting.

Ten of those with measles live in suburban Cook County, health officials said. Eight of those are children; two are adults. One of those children lives in Chicago.

All of the people infected so far had not been vaccinated for measles, the Illinois Department of Public Health said.

It’s not clear how the children at KinderCare, or the adult, who had no affiliation with suburban Cook County, became infected.

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease that can cause severe health complications, including pneumonia, encephalitis and death.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says children should be given the first dose of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine when they are 12 to 15 months old. The second dose usually is given before the start of kindergarten at 4 to 6 years of age.

The DuPage county health department had warned of possible exposure at three locations. But the state health department has not confirmed any cases there.

–Sun-Times

© Copyright 2015 Sun-Times Media, LLC

Chicago measles case among 10 confirmed in Illinois

Feb 11, 2015 |

(CHICAGO) A total of 10 people have been confirmed to have measles in Illinois as of Tuesday, including a baby from Chicago, the Sun-Times is reporting.

Three more cases in DuPage County have been reported, but those cases haven’t been confirmed by the Illinois Department of Public Health, a spokeswoman said Tuesday evening. The DuPage County Health Department couldn’t be reached.

But the DuPage department said there were potential exposures at three locations: Advanced Pediatrics Neonatal Medicine, 473 W. Army Trail Road, Suite 103, Bloomingdale, on Jan. 26 from 2:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m., Jan. 30 from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. or Jan. 31 from 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.; at Hand and Stone Massage and Facial Spa,792 W. Army Trail Road, Carol Stream, on Feb. 6 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or Feb. 7 from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m.; and at Jewel Osco, 750 Army Trail Road, Carol Stream, on Feb. 6 from 11:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

All three locations are cooperating and working closely with the DuPage County Health Department to identify potential contacts and implement preventive measures, the department said in a news release.

Nine of the 10 confirmed cases in Illinois are tied to KinderCare Learning Center in Palatine.

The Illinois Department of Public Health wouldn’t say where the baby lives in Chicago, but Melaney Arnold, a spokeswoman for the state health department, confirmed that the baby was one of those tied to the KinderCare daycare center.

In addition to the Chicago baby, seven other children from the daycare — all from suburban Cook County – have been confirmed to have measles. An adult from suburban Cook County also was tied to the daycare, but according to a spokeswoman from KinderCare, that adult was not an employee.

On Tuesday, a statement posted on Elgin Community College’s website said the Kane County Health Department had confirmed that a student, who lives in suburban Cook County, had measles. The college’s statement said the student attended classes on Feb. 3 and Feb. 5 and visited the library on Feb. 3.

Separately, the first confirmed Illinois case this year — also from suburban Cook County, but with no known ties to KinderCare — was diagnosed with measles last month. The Cook County Department of Public Health announced that case on Jan. 27.

All 10 confirmed people were unvaccinated, according to health officials.

The children all were reported as being under 1 year old, and therefore, too young to be vaccinated.

News of the cluster of cases at KinderCare broke last week. The national daycare chain has since made it mandatory that all staff members be vaccinated.

Illinois health officials are still trying to figure out how the infants at the Illinois daycare center and the adult from north suburban Cook County became infected with the measles virus. No ties have been found to the December outbreak at Disneyland in California, Arnold said.

Dr. Julie Morita of the Chicago Department of Public Health said it has been monitoring the Chicago baby and anyone who may have been exposed to measles since last week, when it was suspected that the baby had the disease along with others from the daycare. Morita declined to say where the baby lived in Chicago.

Similarly, families of all of the other infants who were enrolled at the daycare and could have been exposed to the contagious virus are being monitored, public health officials have said.

Morita said the cases show the importance of maintaining high levels of vaccination.

“What this outbreak does is it really underscores the need for children and adults to be adequately vaccinated. So is there a risk for there to be more disease introduced into Chicago? Sure. There always is,” Morita said. “We have to keep our guard up, and the only way we can do that is by getting vaccinated.”

Morita and other health officials have noted that the measles vaccine is one of the most effective vaccines they have. For those who have been vaccinated, the risk of getting measles is low.

People in Chicago who want to get a vaccine can call their health care providers, or they can call 311 to be connected to the city’s public health department for a clinic that offers the vaccine free of charge, Morita said.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says children should be given the first dose of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine when they are 12 to 15 months old. The second dose usually is given before the start of kindergarten at 4 to 6 years of age.

The CDC says 121 cases have been reported in 17 states, including Illinois, and Washington, D.C., since Feb. 6.

Meanwhile, some state representatives are calling for state health officials to put new rules in place when it comes to vaccinations at schools.

Illinois law allows parents to object to required immunizations or exams for schools on religious or medical grounds.

–Sun-Times

Three more measles cases in Illinois confirmed

Feb 10, 2015 |

(COOK COUNTY) Three additional cases of measles have been confirmed in Illinois, bringing the total to 9 this year, the Illinois Department of Public Health said Monday.

Eight of those confirmed measles cases are from northern suburban Cook County, Melaney Arnold, a spokeswoman for IDPH, told the Chicago Sun-Times.

All eight of those people — two adults and six children — were unvaccinated, the Cook County Department of Public Health said. The county health department has previously said the children at KinderCare were too young to be vaccinated, but it was not immediately clear if the additional child diagnosed with measles was also younger than one.

A spokesperson from Cook County Department of Public Health said there were now seven people tied to KinderCare Learning Center in Palatine in Cook County. One of those people was an adult who was not an employee at KinderCare, a spokeswoman for KinderCare Learning Center said.

News of the outbreak at the daycare center came out last week. The national daycare chain KinderCare has since required all staff members to be vaccinated, the Associated Press reported.

Another northern suburban person — an unvaccinated adult who was the first to be diagnosed with measles on Jan. 27 — brings the Cook County total to 8.

A ninth person diagnosed with measles in Illinois, as of Monday, was a child who was also too young to be vaccinated and was one of the seven people associated with KinderCare, Arnold said. But that child was not from Cook County, she said. No further information was immediately available on where this child was from.

Illinois health officials are still trying to figure out how the infants at the Illinois daycare center and the adult from northern Cook County became infected with the measles virus. No ties have been found to the December outbreak at Disneyland in California, Arnold said.

The CDC says 121 cases have been reported in 17 states, including Illinois and Washington, D.C., since Feb. 6.

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease, but health officials say it can be effectively prevented by vaccination. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says children should be given the first dose of measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine at 12 to 15 months of age. The second dose should be given 4 weeks later, but is usually given before the start of kindergarten at 4 to 6 years of age.

Individuals who are unable to get vaccinated and parents with children less than 12 months of age who are too young to be vaccinated may want to consider limiting unnecessary visits to public places to reduce the risk of exposure to the measles disease, the county health department said.

–Sun-Times

© Copyright 2015 Sun-Times Media, LLC 

‘Expect more cases’ after babies diagnosed with measles in Palatine

Feb 6, 2015 |

(PALATINE) A cluster of measles is being investigated at a Palatine daycare center, state and Cook County officials said Thursday.

The cluster includes five babies less than a year old one who have ties to KinderCare Learning Center, 929 E. Palatine Rd., the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting. Two of the five babies have been confirmed to have measles. Test results for the three others are still pending.

All five are from northwest suburban Cook County. Their ages were not given.

It was not known if family members of the babies had been vaccinated. The county health department said staff at KinderCare are required to be vaccinated to work there.

“There will be more cases. . . . We shouldn’t be surprised about that,” said Dr. Terry Mason, chief operating officer at Cook County Department of Public Health. ”The cat is out of the bag.”

But he emphasized that the vast majority of suburban Cook County residents have been vaccinated and therefore have a very low risk of contracting measles.

Officials said there are 10 more children from the daycare center who may have been exposed to measles. All were too young to be vaccinated for measles, the county health department said. Parents of those 10 have been notified that their child is to stay home for now.

The source of the infection is not yet known, the Illinois Department of Public Health and Cook County Department of Public Health said.

Cook County Department of Public Health got two calls from Northwest Community Hospital on Sunday about sick infants, who were later found to have been at the same daycare center in Palatine. They alerted the daycare on Monday.

Even though both sick infants went to the same hospital as the first person who was identified last week as having measles this year, the county health department said they have not confirmed any link between that person or the December outbreak in Disneyland in California, which has infected almost 100 people with measles so far.

All students, staff and faculty have been notified and anyone who has not received the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine has been instructed to stay at home and away from unvaccinated children for the next 21 days, the statement said.

Colleen Moran, a spokeswoman for the KinderCare Learning Center, said: “We are following Public Health officials’ guidance and excluding unvaccinated children and staff who may have been exposed to the virus from our center until February 24. We also gave the center a deep clean last night.”

Moran said they would “closely monitor the situation here and elsewhere and . . . keep our center families apprised of our response.”

Last week, a suburban Cook County resident was reported to have this year’s first confirmed case of measles in Illinois.

State and county officials warned at that time that other people could have been exposed at three locations: Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights; Supermercado Guzman in Palatine and Vista Clinic, also in Palatine.

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says children should be given the first dose of MMR vaccine at 12 to 15 months of age. The second dose should be given before the start of kindergarten at 4 to 6 years of age.

Illinois requires vaccination for students and children in daycare, unless there are religious objections.

Yet, according to the CDC, 1 in 12 children in the United States do not receive the recommended first dose of MMR vaccine on time.

The county health department could not recall another outbreak like what they are now seeing in Illinois with measles.

“In Illinois, there have been about 10 documented cases over the last 5 years and these are sporadic cases. We haven’t seen anything like this in many years, where there’s a cluster of multiple cases,” Dr. Rachel Rubin, a senior public health medical officer with the county health department.

–Chicago Sun-Times

© Copyright 2015 Sun-Times Media, LLC

Measles reported in Palatine

Feb 5, 2015 |

(Chicago)  A cluster of measles is being investigated at a Palatine daycare center, state and Cook County officials said Thursday.

The cluster includes five children under the age of one who have ties to KinderCare Learning Center, 929 E. Palatine Rd. Two of the five children have been confirmed to have measles. Test results for the three remaining are still pending.

All five are from Cook County, the Chicago Sun-Times reports.

The source of infection for the children is not immediately known, the Illinois Department of Public Health and Cook County Department of Public Health said in a statement.

All students, staff and faculty have been notified and anyone who has not received the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine has been instructed to stay at home and away from unvaccinated children for the next 21 days, the statement said.

A spokesperson for the KinderCare Learning Center could not immediately be reached.

More details are expected at a Cook County Department of Public Health press conference at 1 p.m. Thursday.

A suburban Cook County resident was reported last week as this year’s first confirmed case of measles in Illinois.

State and county officials warned that other people could have been exposed to the highly contagious respiratory illness because of that Cook County resident at three locations: Northwest Community Hospital in Arlington Heights; Supermercado Guzman in Palatine and Vista Clinic, also in Palatine.

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease. The CDC says children should be given the first dose of MMR vaccine at 12 to 15 months of age. The second dose should be given 4 weeks later, but is usually given before the start of kindergarten at 4 to 6 years of age.

© Copyright 2015 Sun-Times Media, LLC

Northern suburban measles case is Illinois’ first of 2015

Jan 27, 2015 |

(Chicago)  A suburban Cook County resident is this year’s first confirmed case of measles in Illinois, the Sun-Times is reporting.

The resident became ill in mid-January and tested positive for measles, the Illinois Department of Public Health said. His or her vaccination for measles was unknown, which a Cook County Department of Public Health spokesperson said likely means that vaccination wasn’t done.

CCDPH spokesperson Amy Poore-Terrell said the resident was an adult living in northern suburban Cook County, but declined to give any other information to protect the person’s identity.

Officials said those who may have been exposed include:

– Patients of and visitors to the emergency room of Northwest Community Hospital, 800 W. Central Rd., Arlington Heights, from 7 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. on Jan. 14, and from 4 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. on Jan. 17.

– Customers of the Supermercado Guzman, 1611 N. Baldwin Rd., Palatine, from 5:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. on both Jan. 12 and Jan. 13.

– Patients of and visitors to the Vista Clinic, 1585 N. Rand Rd., Palatine, from 12:30 p.m. to 4 p.m. on Jan. 16.

Measles is a highly contagious respiratory disease caused by a virus. It spreads through the air through coughing and sneezing, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says.

A person who was potentially exposed and is experiencing symptoms of a fever of 101 degrees or higher, cough, runny nose and red eyes without rash, should call the Cook County Department of Public Health at 847-818-4020 and their healthcare provider, state officials said. These individuals should not go to their doctor’s office or the emergency room as they could infect others around them. Rather, they should stay home.

A Northwest Community Hospital official declined to say any more about the person who was confirmed to have measles on Saturday, except to say that he or she was no longer at the hospital. Alice Brown, spokesperson for Northwest Community Hospital, added that the hospital had made phone calls and sent notice via regular mail, starting today, to alert those who were in the emergency room at the same time as the person confirmed to have measles.

A person who answered the phone at Supermercado Guzman who identified himself as the manager said he had no information about the person who got sick, and was not aware of anyone else who got sick as a result of exposure to that person.

“This case in Illinois is a reminder of the importance of immunizations,” Illinois Department of Public Health director Nirav Shah said in a statement. ”With only 10 cases reported in Illinois over the past five years, many parents may not have experienced the severe illness that can be caused by measles. Immunizations are vital to protect not only each child, but one community as a whole.”

The CDC says there was a record number of measles cases during 2014, with 644 cases from 27 states reported to CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases (NCIRD). That’s the largest number of cases since measles elimination was documented in the U.S. in 2000.

The majority of the people who got measles were unvaccinated, CDC said.

–Sun-Times

© Copyright 2015 Sun-Times Media, LLC 

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