The Cook County Department of Public Health made public Monday a confirmed case of measles in the Chicago area and warned people who visited a downtown restaurant and a northwest suburban grocery store the same day as the affected patient that they might have been exposed to the disease.
The resident had recently traveled to a country where measles was present and had no previous immunization, according to a department news release.
The infected person visited a Panera Bread in Old Town, 400 W. Division St., on July 13 and a Jewel-Osco in Mount Prospect at 333 E. Euclid Ave. on July 14. People are urged to call a doctor if they are showing symptoms of measles, and were at the Panera between 5 and 8:30 p.m. on July 13 or at the Jewel-Osco between noon and 4 p.m. July 14.
The department added two hours to the window of time after the person left, because measles “can linger in the air and on surfaces” two hours after someone infected with it leaves an area, according to the news release.
Symptoms of measles generally appear one to two weeks after someone is infected, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and can include fever; cough; runny nose; red, watery eyes; and a rash. If left untreated, complications from measles can develop into ear infections, pneumonia and encephalitis, which is an inflammation of the brain.
People who have been vaccinated as children don’t have a high risk of getting infected with measles, which can often spread when someone coughs or sneezes, according to the news release.
The department is working with employees who were present at the locations the person visited and said there is currently no risk of contracting measles at those places.
Anyone with measles symptoms is asked to call their local health department: Cook County can be reached at 708-836-8699; Lake County at 847-377-8130; and Chicago at 312-746-5380, with option 1 selected after the call is answered.
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