New Cases Of Measles Confirmed In Cook, DuPage Issues Exposure Warning
UPDATE: 6:30 p.m.
(CBS/AP) — Health officials in DuPage County are warning residents about possible exposure to measles at several locations.
Officials say there are no confirmed cases in DuPage. According to the DuPage County Health Department, the three sites of potential exposure are:
All locations are now safe to visit and the warning applies to people who were unvaccinated at the time. Health Department spokesman Dave Hass says the virus only remains airborne for several hours.
Mother Khavna Joshi told CBS 2's Mike Parker one of her two kids had been vaccinated and the hadn't.
"I am from India and people get it and survive," Khavna Johsni. "I am not really worried."
The warning comes as the number of confirmed measles cases in Cook County rose to 10 on Tuesday with health officials saying two more infants from a suburban daycare have the disease.
Chicago and Cook County health officials said Tuesday that nine of the 10 cases are associated with a KinderCare Learning Center in Palatine. All of the cases are among unvaccinated infants and adults.
According to Elgin Community College, a student from Cook County has a confirmed case of measles. The school says that before diagnosis, the student attended classes on Feb. 3 and Feb. 5 and visited the library on Feb. 3.
Public health nurses have been in daily contact with families of infants enrolled at the day care who may have been exposed to the contagious virus.
Dr. Julie Morita of the Chicago Department of Public Health says the cases show the importance of maintaining high levels of vaccination.
The government recommends a first dose of measles vaccine for children ages 12 months to 15 months, with a second dose before starting kindergarten.
Symptoms of measles include fever, red and sore eyes, runny nose, cough, and rash. Measles can cause more severe health problems, including pneumonia, encephalitis, and death; it is transmitted by coughing and sneezing, and can survive in the air and on surfaces for up to two hours. People who have measles are contagious from four days before a rash starts, through four days afterward.
For more information, visit the Illinois Department of Health website.
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