Local
DuPage measles case prompts exposure alert for O’Hare Terminal 5
A DuPage County resident who was vaccinated against measles tested positive after returning from an international trip. Health officials are asking people who were in O’Hare’s Terminal 5 on Oct. 15 during a specified three-hour window to call the county health department.
DuPage County health officials are contacting people who may have been exposed to measles at O’Hare International Airport after a county resident tested positive for the virus.
The vaccinated resident returned from an international trip last Thursday, the DuPage County Health Department said Wednesday. The person was at Terminal 5 on Oct. 15, and anyone who was there between 4:20 p.m. and 7 p.m. should call the department at 630-682-7400.
Measles infection in a vaccinated person is uncommon, but can occur after intense or prolonged exposure to someone with the virus, health officials said. The department is working to reach people who may have been exposed.
“Our community’s safety is our priority,” Adam Forker, the department’s executive director, said in a statement. “Vaccination continues to provide strong protection, even in a rare breakthrough case.”
Illinois had recorded 24 confirmed measles cases so far this year as of Wednesday, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health. The airport alert follows a separate exposure notice last month involving an out-of-state traveler who passed through Chicago’s Union Station.