Measles Case Confirmed; Patient Visited Mount Prospect Grocery

MOUNT PROSPECT, IL — A case of measles has been confirmed in Cook County, according to the public health department. The patient, who had traveled to a country with "ongoing measles transmission and no prior immunity to measles," visited locations in Mount Prospect and Chicago during the infectious period, the Cook County Department of Public Health announced Monday.

According to the agency, the patient was at the following locations during these times. Two hours have been added to the time the individual left because measles can remain airborne and on surfaces for that time after an infected individual has been there;

• Panera Bread, 400 W. Division St., Chicago, 5 to 8:30 p.m. July 13
• Jewel Osco, 333 E. Euclid Ave., Mount Prospect, noon to 4 p.m. July 14

Health officials are working with these locations to contact employees who were there during the possible exposure times, the agency said. Customers who visited these businesses after these times do not face a risk of contracting measles, the health department added.

Doctors treating the patient are working to identify all the potential exposure areas and contacting those who might be most susceptible to the disease. The Illinois Department of Public Health also is assisting in the medical investigation.

Measles can spread through the air by coughing or sneezing, the Cook County agency said. The disease also can be transmitted by contact with the mucus or saliva of an infected patient.

If you were at either of the above businesses during these times and are having measles symptoms, contact a doctor. Symptoms include a rash, high fever, cough, runny nose and red, watery eyes.

Infected individuals could see symptoms up to 21 days after exposure, according to the county health department. Serious complications, such as pneumonia and encephalitis, can occur from measles, the agency warns.

People who were routinely vaccinated as children are not at high risk. Individuals traveling overseas — including children older than 6 months — should talk to a doctor about an additional dose of MMR vaccine before going, the health department advises.

"It is important for everyone to get vaccinated, if they aren’t already," Dr. Terry Mason, the Cook County Department of Public Health's chief medical officer, said in a statement. "Getting vaccinated protects you and others around you who are too young to get the vaccine or can’t receive it for medical reasons. Two doses of measles vaccine are nearly 100 percent effective in preventing measles."

Go to the Centers of Disease Control's website for more information about measles. County residents who think they have been infected with the disease should call the Cook County Department of Public Health at 708-836-8699. Chicago residents call the Chicago Department of Public Health at 312-746-5380 and select option 1.

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