Third case of measles for 2025 confirmed in Cook County
A third case of measles for the year has been confirmed in Cook County.
The adult patient was in the southwest Chicago suburb of Crestwood, according to the Cook County Department of Public Health.
It was not clear if the person was vaccinated.
County health officials are now telling people to make sure they are up to date on their MMR vaccine.
The measles virus can live in the air for up to two hours after an infected person has left the area.
Meanwhile, officials are warning people that they may have been exposed to the person, and to measles, if they were at the Aldi grocery store at 4820 Cal Sag Rd. in Crestwood between 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 24.
Measles was believed to have been eliminated in the United States in 2000. But cases have steadily increased in recent years, with a massive outbreak around the country this year.
A total of 11 measles cases were confirmed in Illinois before this latest one — including one in Chicago and another in suburban Cook County. In the latter case, a 4-year-old child was the patient.
Chicago also saw its own measles outbreak just last year — affecting in particular the migrant shelter in operation at the time in Pilsen. There were 67 cases reported in the March and April 2024 Chicago area outbreak altogether.
Editor's note: this article has been updated to correct the date of exposure at Aldi. Cook County officials originally provided the wrong date.
