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Chicago has been slammed with nearly as many cases of measles in its migrant shelters this year than the whole country had in 2023.
City health officials reported 57 “confirmed cases” and that most of the cases have turned up across its migrant shelter system.
According to city officials, 33 cases of measles are migrant children up to the age of four, seven are from five to 17 years of age, 16 are adults between the ages of 18 and 24, and one is over 50 years of age.
Health officials also say that some residents may have been exposed to the disease on city mass transit bus and train lines, as well as various stores, clinics, and schools.
These 57 cases, mostly among the illegal border crossers being sheltered in Chicago’s migrant housing, rivals the number of measles cases reported in the entire country for 2023. Last year only 58 cases were seen in the whole of the U.S. However, there were 121 cases listed in 2022, according to WMAQ-TV.
But this year, the outbreak has exploded. As the report notes, “As of Feb. 29, a total of 41 measles cases were reported in 16 U.S. states: Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, New Jersey, New York City, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and Washington.”
These numbers do not include the new cases in Chicago. --->READ MORE HERE
Chicago health officials have announced that a "small number" of tuberculosis (TB) cases have been reported at some migrant facilities following a recent outbreak of measles among migrants living in the Windy City's shelters.
The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) said the TB cases were reported in "a few different shelters" in the city. However, officials did not disclose the exact number of confirmed cases or which shelter locations they originated from, Fox 32 Chicago reports.
The agency says its medical teams are ramping up contact tracing to address the health issue. Tuberculosis is an infectious bacterial disease that mainly affects the lungs.
The confirmed tuberculosis cases come as more than 55 measles cases have now been confirmed in Chicago, with the majority of those cases being reported in the Pilsen migrant shelter on Halsted Street.
"CDPH is aware of a small number of cases of TB among new arrivals in a few different shelters over the course of the response," the health agency said in a statement to Fox 32.
The health body said 10% to 20% of Central and South American residents have a latent TB infection, which is asymptomatic and not transmissible to others. It does, however, result in a positive TB test, CDPH says.
CDPH says TB is curable with antibiotics and is not particularly infectious. It typically requires several hours or more of prolonged close contact between individuals to spread.
"TB is not a novel or rarely seen illness in Chicago, as the Chicago Department of Public Health typically expects to see between 100-150 cases of tuberculosis in Chicago residents in an average year," the CDPH statement reads. "We will continue to offer treatment to individuals as necessary and take the proper precautions to eliminate spread, but we do not consider this a matter presenting a substantial threat to the public." --->READ MORE HERE
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