A Lake County resident who spent approximately 50 hours in a Lake Zurich restaurant between March 13 and 19 has a case of measles adding to the spread of the disease in the Chicago area, according to a news release from the Lake County Health Department.
The Lake County Health Department confirmed the case of measles Saturday in Lake County in a news release letting the public know the individual’s whereabouts and what they can do to prevent becoming ill.
People already vaccinated against measles are “likely protected” and need to take no further action, according to the release. The health department is making an effort to identify and contact individuals who may have been exposed.
The infected individual was in the emergency room at Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville between 5:56 p.m. Wednesday and 4:01 a.m. Thursday, according to the release. They were also at Consume Restaurant at various times March 13 through 16 and March 19.
Times the infected individual was at the restaurant were between 1:58 p.m. and 11:10 p.m. March 13, between 12:15 p.m. and 11:12 p.m. March 14, between 11:12 a.m. and 11:59 p.m. March 15, between 10:30 a.m. and 11:27 p.m. March 16 and between 1:42 p..m. and 5:34 p.m. March 19, according to the release.
Anyone who was at the restaurant or the hospital during the times the infected individual was present should contact the health department’s communicable disease team (847-377-8130). Symptoms should be monitored for 21 days.
“Vaccination is the best tool we have to prevent the spread of measles,” Dr. Sana Ahmed, the Lake County Health Department’s Medical Epidemiologist,” said in the release. “This is a good reminder to make sure that you are up to date on all your vaccines.”
In a person is not certain they were vaccinated, Sana said in the release they should check with their health care provider to learn if they need to receive the vaccine. Parents should check with the health care provider of any child 1 or older to become current with the vaccine.
A first dose of the vaccine is recommended when a child turns 1 and another when they are between 4 and 6, according to the release. It is never too late to become vaccinated.
Lake County health officials said in the release the case is connected to the outbreak in Chicago. There are 17 confirmed cases concentrated largely in the largest city-run migrant shelter. Of the confirmed cases, 11 are children under the age of 5.
There have been 60 reported measles cases in Illinois since 2010, according to the release. There were five cases reported in Chicago in 2023, according to the Chicago Department of Public Health website. They were the first there since 2019. The City of Chicago has vaccinated 4,000 migrants, mostly from Venezuela, since the outbreak.
Though cases of measles are rare due to the high vaccination rate locally, they have increased internationally and in some parts of the United States more recently, according to the release.
Lake County Health Department officials said in the release measles is a respiratory infection that causes a rash and high fever. It can lead to pneumonia and other complications. It spreads easily through the air when an infected person breathes talks, coughs, or sneezes. It can stay in the air or on surfaces for many hours.
Chicago Tribune reporter Alyssa Guffey contributed to this story.
