There have been no reported cases of measles in Kane County

Although DuPage County recently reported its first case of measles since 2009 during an outbreak in Chicago, Kane County is currently free of the infectious disease, health officials said.

Still, the Kane County Health Department is monitoring the outbreak, said Executive Director Michael Isaacson. He said Kane County hasn’t seen a case of measles in five years, but the department is concerned about the high number of cases reported in the Chicago area over the past two months.

Chicago has seen about 60 cases of measles since March 4, according to a dashboard on the outbreak on the city’s website. These cases were the first in Chicago since 2019.

Outside of Chicago, two cases were reported in suburban Cook County, one case in Lake County, two cases in Will County and one case in DuPage County, according to Isaacson.

He said more cases of measles were reported in the state of Illinois in 2024 than in the previous nine years combined.

The Kane County Health Department is also currently working with one person who may have come into contact with the disease, Isaacson said.

“They’re just checking for symptoms,” he said. “Not a major threat. We assume that they have protection against a vaccine or a previous infection.”

The best way to protect against measles is vaccination, Isaacson said. He said the Kane County Health Department is also concerned about this measles outbreak because some parents are not keeping their children on schedule for vaccinations.

The good news, Isaacson said, is that Illinois public schools have robust immunization requirements and more than 95% of children have been vaccinated. The exceptions are often for religious reasons, he said.

According to Isaacson, measles was nearly eradicated in the United States almost 25 years ago. He said that because so many people are being vaccinated here in America, the main way measles spreads is through people traveling to countries where there is no widespread vaccination against measles.

“The more people here that are susceptible, the more likely we are to have a spread of cases,” Isaacson said.

According to Isaacson, the disease is concerning for two main reasons.

The first is the speed and ease with which the disease can spread from person to person. He said measles can even linger in the air or on surfaces and infect people for hours after the sick person has left the area.

The second is the severity of the disease. A large percentage of children who get measles end up in the hospital, Isaacson said.

According to a news release from the Kane County Health Department, a measles infection causes a rash, high fever, cough, runny nose and pink eye.

Most people have been vaccinated against measles and are therefore not at high risk, the press release said.

However, if someone notices symptoms of measles and thinks he or she may have it, that person should stay home and call their doctor rather than visiting in person, Isaacson said.

He said infected people who go to the doctor in person can further spread the disease, especially among people with already lowered immune systems.

If someone is determined to have measles or another highly contagious disease, the doctor or laboratory that diagnosed the disease is required by state law to report that infection to the local health department, Isaacson said.

From there, he directs the health department to determine who that person might have transmitted their illness to and develop a plan to limit the spread of the disease. They can also ask the infected person to quarantine to prevent further spread.

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