A suburban Cook County resident has a confirmed case of measles, but it is not likely linked to the multistate outbreak associated with Disneyland, county and state health officials said Tuesday.
The person diagnosed, who officials would identify only as being older than 18, became ill in mid-January, according to a release sent Tuesday from the Illinois Department of Public Health.
Officials warned of potential exposure to the respiratory disease. Possible exposure could have occurred at: Supermercado Guzman, 1611 N. Baldwin Road in Palatine, between 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Jan. 12 and 13; the Northwest Community Hospital emergency room, 800 W. Central Road in 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; and at Vista Clinic, 1585 N. Rand Road in Palatine between 12:30 p.m. and 4 p.m. on Jan. 16, according to the release.
Anyone who may have been exposed to the virus, has not had a measles vaccine and is showing symptoms including a fever of 101 degrees or higher, cough, runny nose and red eyes, should not go to their doctor's office or an emergency room. Rather, they should call their health care provider and the Cook County Department of Public Health at 847-818-4020, according to the Cook County Department of Public Health.
"A person with no immunity can become infected simply by being in the same room with someone who has the disease," said Cook County Department of Public Health medical officer Dr. Rachel Rubin in a news release. "To eliminate the potential spread of the disease, it is imperative that we notify the public of any possible exposures to residents."
This is the first case of measles confirmed in Illinois this year, said Illinois Department of Public Health spokeswoman Melaney Arnold. Two cases were confirmed in 2014 in McDonough County in central Illinois, she said.
Officials said in the news release that the case this month does not appear to be related to the outbreak originating at Disneyland, which has grown to at least 87 cases, 73 of them in California. The rest are in Arizona, Utah, Washington, Colorado, Oregon, Nebraska and Mexico. Most of those infected were not vaccinated, and health officials have urged people to get the measles shot.
Vaccination is highly effective at preventing measles infection and is required for all Illinois students, according to the release from the Cook County health department.
Associated Press contributed.
Twitter @mmanchir
