Illinois Officials Sound Alarm on Measles Outbreak

It's no longer just a handful of isolated cases. By definition, Illinois now has an outbreak of the measles and the Department of Health has shared new facts about what that means.

The Illinois Department of Public Health shared a news alert just a few days ago that says the measles count in the state has gone up and there are enough now to officially categorize it as an outbreak. They say that at this current time the risk for the general population is low, but "unvaccinated and immunocompromised persons need to take precautions". Here are the key points they want everyone to understand:

• This now meets the technical CDC definition of measles outbreak status with three linked cases
• There are 4 cases of the measles in southern Illinois and 2 in Cook county
• No children have the measles at this time and no adults have been hospitalized as a result of having the measles
• 1 of the Illinois measles cases may be connected to the exposure reported at a Missouri aquarium in St. Louis which was confirmed by health officials

How can you know if you have the measles?

The CDC lists the following symptoms:

• fever
• cough
• runny nose
• red, watery eyes
• a rash that starts on the face and spreads downward

While there is technically an outbreak of measles in Illinois now, the Department of Public Health does not believe this is cause for alarm yet, but that precautions should be taken especially if you're part of a immune-compromised group.