Possible measles exposure at Evergreen Park Sams Club

Cook County health officials are urging unvaccinated individuals who visited Sam’s Club on April 9 to get the MMR vaccine immediately.

April 21, 2024 10:47 PM CDT

EVERGREEN PARK, IL – Cook County health officials are warning anyone who may have visited a Sam’s Club in Evergreen Park of possible measles exposure.

A person contagious for measles attended Sam’s Club, 9400 S. Western Ave. on Tuesday, April 9 between 10 a.m. and 2:45 p.m. The infected person lives in Chicago. The Cook County Department of Public Health is coordinating this investigation with the Chicago Department of Public Health. Officials say there is no known link between the Chicago resident and the recent measles cases linked to a city shelter for newcomers.

If you visited Sam’s Club in Evergreen Park on April 9 and have not been vaccinated, you are at increased risk for developing measles. Health officials are asking those who have not been vaccinated to contact their healthcare provider immediately. Your doctor can provide additional information about measles testing and vaccination. The MMR vaccine or a medicine called ‘immune globulin’ may be given to exposed people who are not immune to measles to reduce the risk of developing it.

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If you become ill and have a high fever (greater than 101 F), cough, runny nose, and red eyes with or without a rash, contact the Cook County Department of Public Health and your healthcare provider immediately at 708-836-8699 and your healthcare provider. Before going to the medical office or emergency room, call to arrange a medical evaluation so that other patients and medical personnel are not at risk of exposure to measles.

If you have been vaccinated or have previously had measles, your risk of developing measles is considered low. Most children are eligible for their first dose of the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine at 12 months of age. People born before 1957 are likely to have been infected naturally and are therefore believed to be protected against measles.

For the latest information on measles cases in Illinois, please visit the Illinois Department of Public Health.