FILE- Vials of measles, mumps and rubella vaccine sit in a cooler on the Rockland County Well being Division in Pomona, N.Y., March 27, 2019. A midwife on New York’s Lengthy Island, who gave almost 1,500 youngsters homeopathic pellets as an alternative of required vaccinations, has been fined $300,000, the state’s well being division introduced this week. (AP Photograph/Seth Wenig, File)
(NewsNation) — Two days after Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis linked Chicago’s measles outbreak to the variety of migrants being housed in 23 shelters, metropolis well being officers introduced there are actually 52 confirmed instances.
The vast majority of instances are linked to Chicago’s largest migrant shelter, the place greater than 1,800 new arrivals are being held, the Chicago Division of Public Well being introduced. Of the 52 confirmed instances, 31 contain youngsters below the age of 5. As of Wednesday, town had reported 35 instances.
This week, DeSantis pointed to “unlawful aliens” for the big variety of Chicago instances. He mentioned he didn’t discover the media “carping” concerning the metropolis outbreak the best way he felt like reporters identified the variety of these affected in Florida, the place 14 instances had been reported as of this week.
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However on Friday, Chicago Well being Commissioner Olusimbo Ige pushed again in opposition to the Florida governor’s assertion concerning the sources of town’s measles instances.
“New arrivals didn’t carry measles to Chicago. It was circulating right here, and they’re susceptible to it as a result of many come from nations the place they didn’t obtain the vaccinations we in the USA do, and so they’re dwelling in congregate settings the place it could unfold extra simply,” Ige mentioned. “We’re now doing the arduous work to comprise that unfold.”
Chicago stays the nationwide chief in measles instances with greater than 50% of the U.S. instances, The Facilities for Illness Management and Prevention introduced 97 confirmed instances on Friday. There have been 58 measles instances in all of 2023.
This 12 months’s instances have been reported in 18 jurisdictions, together with the District of Columbia, the CDC reported. Seven states have reported outbreaks, whic is outlined as three or extra instances and the company mentioned that 72% of the nationwide instances are linked to outbreaks.
By comparability, 4 outbreaks have been reported in 2023 and 48 instances have been outbreak-related.
Three instances have additionally been linked to suburban counties in Illinois, bringing the state’s caseload to 55.
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Chicago well being officers mentioned Friday that greater than 5,000 migrants and asylum-seekers have been vaccinated because the first measles case was introduced earlier this month. Metropolis officers introduced earlier this month that vaccinations can be required for any new arrivals dwelling in city-run shelters.
Metropolis well being division officers mentioned that 95% of migrants dwelling on the shelter in Chicago’s Pilsen neighborhood had both been vaccinated by town or have been immune as a result of that they had beforehand acquired a shot or had been uncovered to the virus.
Ige mentioned that different shelters can be prioritized to achieve the 95% vaccination threshold as officers proceed to work to restrict the unfold of measles.
“These are the core pillars of the general public well being response which might be stopping many extra instances of measles that might have occurred with out these measures,” town’s well being commissioner mentioned. “However all Chicagoans can do their half. There are literally thousands of individuals in Chicago, particularly youngsters, that aren’t updated with the MMR vaccine. We encourage everybody to make sure their youngsters are vaccinated, particularly so if they’re touring, and in addition be certain that youngsters are vaccinated when returning to high school after spring break.”