Public health officials confirmed on Thursday that five babies at a suburban daycare center have been diagnosed with measles.
The babies are less than a year old and were all at a KinderCare Learning Center daycare in Palatine, Ill., about 30 miles northwest of downtown Chicago. Two were confirmed by their laboratory tests while the rest were based on clinical factors; laboratory tests are being processed, according to the Washington Post.
Officials of the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Cook County Department of Public Health are now investigating the cluster of measles cases at the said daycare. All of the babies were unvaccinated since measles vaccination begins at 12 months.
The daycare center was given a "deep clean" on Wednesday night, Reuters reported. The daycare faculty was also advised to stay at home and to avoid unvaccinated people for 21 days due to possible exposure to the disease.
"These cases underscore the need for everyone who is eligible for the vaccine to ensure that they have been vaccinated," Dr. Nirav Shah, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, said in a statement. "There are certain individuals who, because of their age or clinical condition, cannot be vaccinated."
The measles outbreak at the daycare is the second confirmed case in Illinois. The first one was with an adult. It is also uncertain whether the outbreak is linked to Disneyland, wherein more than 100 people are already infected.
For the meantime, residents were instructed to immediately contact their local health department and their doctor if they suspect that they have measles or are showing symptoms such as high fever and rashes.
The health officials are expecting more cases in the next few days especially that it usually takes 4 days before the symptoms are observed after exposure.
"There will be more cases. ... We shouldn't be surprised about that," Dr. Terry Mason, chief operating officer of the Cook County Department of Public Health, told the Chicago Tribune. "The cat is out of the bag."
