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CHICAGO — Health officials Saturday confirmed a case of measles in Chicago.

The Chicago Department of Public Health said a person with the infection was identified Friday.

People across the city may have been exposed to measles Thursday or Friday on public transit, at retail stores and at the University of Illinois Chicago. Health officials said exposure may have occurred:

  • May 16 on public transit from Chicago O’Hare International Airport to the University of Illinois Chicago campus;
  • May 16 in the Loop and Millennium Park;
  • May 16 at retail stores on South Canal Street and on State Street between Monroe and Randolph streets;
  • and May 17 at UIC Student Center East.

Anyone who may have been exposed should check their immunization records and contact healthcare providers, the health department said. People can also call 311 and ask for the communicable disease physician on call.

Measles starts with a fever that can get very high. Other symptoms include cough, runny nose, red eyes, diarrhea and a rash of tiny, red spots that start at the head and spread to the rest of the body.

“Measles is a serious yet preventable disease through a safe, effective and universally available vaccine,” CDPH Commissioner Julie Morita, M.D., said in a statement. “Chicagoans should make sure their children and family members are up to date on vaccines now. Vaccination is the best way to protect against measles.”

The Chicago Department of Public Health said Chicago has one of the highest measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination rates in the nation. The department said most people in Chicago are protected from measles because they were vaccinated as children.