IDPH: Six measles cases confirmed in state, includes four in Southern Illinois | Health

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Six measles cases are confirmed in Illinois so far this year, including two new cases in Southern Illinois confirmed over the weekend, the Illinois Department of Public Health announced Monday. Three linked cases in Franklin and Williamson counties meet the Center for Disease Control’s technical definition of an outbreak.

According to IDPH, there have been four confirmed measles cases in Southern Illinois and two unrelated adult cases in Cook County, for a total of six in the state this year. The people infected did not require hospitalization. No children have contracted measles in the state so far this year.

Social links between the three Southern Illinois cases are known, IDPH said. One person may have visited locations in Missouri, including the St. Louis Aquarium, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.

Dr. Sameer Vohra, director of IDPH, stressed that while the individual risk of contracting measles is low, vaccination remains the safest and most effective way to prevent the illness.

“The key to preventing measles is the highly effective [measles-mumps-rubella] vaccine,” Vohra said. “Two doses are 97% effective in preventing this serious infection. I recommend that our Illinois residents make sure they and their family members are up to date on the MMR vaccine and all other age-appropriate immunizations.”

Several stores, a restaurant and a gym in Marion are identified as exposure locations for the Southern Illinois cases. A list of measles exposure locations for the Southern Illinois cases and the Cook County cases is available online.