County health officials are warning unvaccinated residents after a possible measles exposure at a Sam’s Club in Evergreen Park earlier this month.
The exposure happened at the Sam’s Club store at 9400 S. Western Ave. on April 9, between 10 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. The infected individual is a Chicago resident, according to a statement from Cook County Department of Public Health.
A total of 63 cases have been recorded in Chicago this year. Fifty-two percent of those infected were children under four, according to city’s Department of Public Health.
The first Chicago measles case in five years was detected March 7. Dozens of cases have since been reported in the city’s migrant shelters, hospitalizing several young children and raising concerns about the conditions of the crowded facilities. Amid the outbreak, the city administered more than 15,000 vaccine doses. There is no known link between the recent case and those at the shelters, officials said.
Measles is a highly contagious respiratory infection that causes a rash and high fever. It can be particularly severe in young children and lead to other complications, such as pneumonia. Cases in the city remain rare due to high vaccination coverage from childhood.
Since the outbreak in Chicago, at least one positive case has been detected in Will County and another in DuPage County.