A recent case of measles reported in Cook County has officially made Illinois the 30th state to join the alarming new measles epidemic which began in late 2024 in California, followed by the outbreak in Texas early this year.
According to the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), in 2025 there have been 4 confirmed cases of measles to date in Illinois. Measles, declared eliminated due to effectiveness of the measles vaccine, in 2000, is now making an aggressive comeback nationally.
As of May 9, a total of 1001 confirmed measles cases were reported by the Centers for Disease. For comparison’s sake, the national 2025 number already exceeds the 285 cases the agency documented throughout 2024. In 97% of this year’s cases, people who were infected were either unvaccinated or their vaccination status was unknown.
The good and bad news
“As of May 2, McHenry County has not had any positive measles cases,” Nick Kubiak, Public Information Officer McHenry County Department of Health, reported, adding “The MCDH continues to monitor measles activity locally, as part of our routine communicable disease surveillance efforts.”
The bad news is that measles is the most contagious disease that we know. The virus can live for two hours on surfaces or suspended in the air.
“The estimate is that in a totally non-immune population, someone with measles can infect about 90% of the people around them and that the average person in a population like that will affect somewhere around 14 additional people,” said Adam Radler, Infectious Disease MD (podcast: Why measles is resurging—and the rise of vaccine hesitancy).
Considering how easily measles spreads, the fact that cases have not yet been reported in your county does not mean you’re measles-proof. It’s just a matter of time.
Dr. Jennifer Soe, IDPH Pediatric Medicine Medical Advisor explained: “What we’re seeing nationally is that measles doesn’t really stay contained. A single case can lead to a broader outbreak…even one vulnerable pocket can put a whole region at risk.”
Is measles really that big a problem?
Readers might be thinking, “I got measles and I don’t remember it being such a big deal.” It’s true that in the majority of cases measles can simply be extremely uncomfortable (fever, conjunctivitis, dry cough, runny nose and itchy rash). However, complications can develop (dehydration, ear infection, bronchitis, laryngitis, or croup, pneumonia, and encephalitis) leading to hospitalization or even death. Because the measles vaccine has been so effective, widespread and accepted, many have forgotten or are unaware of the frequency and death toll of the disease. During the 1950s an annual average of greater than 500,000 cases of measles and nearly 500 deaths due to measles were reported in US. Many have forgotten these measles statistics, resulting in common misconceptions about the disease and its complications.
Late breaking! Developing confusion on measles treatment
On May 1, Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. asked the CDC to develop new guidance for treating measles, a virus, with drugs and vitamins, Source: HHS spokesperson. Kennedy has faced criticism for remarks misleading people into thinking that measles infections are easily curable, telling reporters there are “many, many good ways to treat measles.”
However, The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has stated: “There is no tested, valid treatment for measles. Children may need supportive care, once infected, such as assisting with breathing or hydration, as necessary. There is no scientific evidence that inhaled steroids like budesonide or oral antibiotics like clarithromycin are beneficial for treating measles. Promoting medications to treat measles, particularly when those medications are not recommended, suggests that measles is treatable, which it is not.”
“There is no cure for measles, and it can result in serious complications. It’s misleading and dangerous to promote the idea that measles is easily treated using unproven and ineffective therapies like budesonide and clarithromycin,” AAP stated on April 25. James Campbell, vice chair of the AAP committee that develops recommendations for doctors treating measles and other infectious diseases cautioned that neither drug was an antiviral treating the measles virus infection itself. He said decisions to use these drugs were best left up to doctors managing measles hospitalizations on an individual basis. Likewise attempting to treat measles at home with Vitamin A or cod liver oil which is high in Vitamin A and D both of which the AAP say can be dangerous.
Are other common childhood-related diseases also on the rise?
Like measles, whooping cough, formally known as pertussis, is also making a comeback and it too is also very contagious. Upon exposure, 80% of people who have not been previously exposed to the bacterium or vaccinated against the disease will develop an infection. Formally known as pertussis, it is characterized by acute respiratory illness causing severe and spasmodic coughing spells with complications of pneumonia, stopped breathing and seizures. The World Health Organization estimates that 24.1 million pertussis cases and 160,700 deaths occur worldwide in children under 5 each year.
Again, like measles, whooping cough is largely preventable with a safe and effective vaccine. Before the start of routine childhood vaccination, whooping cough rates hovered between 100,000 and 200,000 cases per year. With vaccines, rates plunged, reaching a low of 1,010 cases in 1976. Starting in the 1980s and 1990s, however, rates again resurged. In 2024, over 35,000 cases were reported- a rate five times higher than in 2023, mirroring the rapid rise of measles.
Why this escalating rate of these diseases once thought eliminated? That will be the focus of next month’s health report – why immunization rates have gone down, how you learn about immunization rates in your community, and how you can confirm your personal immunization status — and if you might need a booster shot.
