Health officials prepare to welcome potentially 2K migrants per week this summer amid measles outbreak

CHICAGO - Measles cases have been reported nationwide and beyond, but Chicago brought some positive news after the initial outbreak less than a month ago. 

Health officials in Illinois and Chicago are reassuring the public that the measles outbreak is under control.

The Cook County Department of Public Health announced successful vaccination efforts among migrants and plans to intensify these efforts for the upcoming summer season. 

However, health officials also said that a second case of measles was confirmed in the suburbs in an unvaccinated adult in Cicero. 

Despite this development, there's no known link between this case and the migrant shelter in Chicago. Statewide, there have been 64 confirmed cases, with 58 of them concentrated in Chicago, notably among individuals who stayed at a migrant shelter in Pilsen.

With Chicago potentially welcoming up to 2,000 migrants weekly this summer, public health officials expressed concern. 

"We're putting infrastructure and systems in place to handle that upsurge should it occur," said Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH)  Commissioner Dr. Olusimbo Ige. "And what we have done differently is situating our disease prevention, vaccination efforts at the Landing Zone before people get into the shelters." 

While migrants undergo health screenings and vaccinations upon shelter placement, both state and city health departments emphasize the importance of vaccination for everyone.