CDC arrives with three more measles cases at Chicago migrant shelter

Chicago (CBS) — 3 more to go measles An infection was also reported at a migrant shelter in Pilsen, bringing the total number of infections at the facility to seven.

All but one of Chicago's eight recent measles cases occurred in shelters., the largest in the city. Some asylum seekers were placed in quarantine on Tuesday, with many migrants facing eviction from shelters within just days.

“We're seeing new cases every day, but this is nothing like the COVID-19 pandemic,” said Olusimbo Simbo-Ige, director of the Chicago Department of Public Health. “Since I have been vaccinated, I am not at high risk,” he said. In a news release. “However, unvaccinated people should take precautions and immediately isolate and contact their health care provider if they become infected. First and foremost, get vaccinated so you too can protect yourself from this virus.” Please make sure you are protected.”

Meanwhile, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention was dispatched to the shelter at 2241 S. Halstead St. at the request of local authorities in Illinois and Chicago to determine what technical assistance is needed to weather and contain the outbreak. is being investigated. outbreak.

The CDC was on the scene Tuesday.

“We hope that the teams that have been called in today will be able to help these people in the way that they are asking for help,” said Manisha Patel, the national medical officer of health. CDC Immunizations and Respiratory Diseases.

CBS 2 late Tuesday was still waiting for responses from the state of Illinois and the Chicago Department of Public Health on requests to the CDC and next steps. outbreak. There was also no word late Tuesday on what the CDC would find in the visit.

Mayor Brandon Johnson previously said there would be a 20-day isolation process for those affected, along with expanded outreach and vaccination opportunities for unvaccinated asylum seekers. .

Health officials told CBS 2 that nearly 900 migrants at the Pilsen shelter who had no evidence of immunity were vaccinated, and 700 were found to already have immunity.

According to the city's latest analyzable data released Friday, 1,896 people are staying at the Halstead Street shelter. This leaves about 300 people unvaccinated and without immunity to the highly contagious disease.

Video from inside the city's largest migrant shelter shows people being moved out, who CBS 2 said are sick or need to quarantine. The person who took the video asked that his identity be concealed.

One immigrant said off-camera that he understood those in quarantine were taken elsewhere.

CBS 2 met with the CDC on Tuesday ahead of the shelter visit and asked what they would provide once they arrive.

“What that city and state is asking us to do is provide technical assistance. They have questions about who should get vaccinated, who should be quarantined, who should be quarantined. “If that's the case, make sure there are people on the ground who can provide those things.” Manisha Patel, CDC's National Immunization and Respiratory Diseases Chief Medical Officer, said, “We want to make sure there is sufficient supply and that any necessary laboratory tests, if any, are transported to appropriate facilities. “We are now able to resume testing,” he said. Testing happens really quickly. ”

Ensuring health care providers are informed is also a key priority for CDC.

Again, as of late Tuesday, there had been no word from the Chicago Department of Public Health about what was to come.

Questions about the health screening process upon arrival for immigrants

Meanwhile, the city and state have also not disclosed the exact health screening process that volunteers working with new immigrants say should take place at the immigrant landing zone at Polk and Des Plaines streets, where the buses arrive. Such processes in the landing zone could help prevent new outbreaks in the future.

The Cook County Health Department previously said it is providing medical evaluations to new arrivals who have gone through the city's intake process. CBS 2 has repeatedly asked the city to explain its process and screening of immigrants, but has not received a response.

John Martin of the Homeless Opportunity Center runs a network of shelters along the border in El Paso, pre-admitting migrants to their final destinations such as Chicago.

At the El Paso shelter, new arrivals undergo a screening questionnaire based solely on symptoms.

“We often ask people when they arrive, and it's a simple question: 'Do you have a cough? Do you have a fever?'” Martin said.

Martin said he would not ask questions about vaccinations.

All this is The city's first 60-day shelter stay deadline approaches. By Saturday, many people living in the Halstead Street shelter could be forced to find somewhere else to live.

Late Tuesday, several city councilors met, led by Ald. Andre Vázquez, the 40th Chairman of the Commission on Immigrant and Refugee Rights, told Mayor Johnson to replace the 60-day eviction policy with one that addresses shelter stays on a case-by-case basis and, in similar circumstances, That's the support and dignity we all want.”

“If a 60-day eviction policy is implemented, the majority of new arrivals who cannot yet secure jobs or housing will face involuntary exit from shelters, disruption of community integration, and potentially “We will face homelessness without a home,” the councilors wrote. “What we've seen since this weekend is that public health concerns can be exacerbated if people who don't have rent assistance, work permits, or have significant language barriers are put on the streets. I'm saying that.”

The mayor's office said it will issue an update on upcoming shelter deadlines this week.