Chicago measles outbreak; Wisconsin continues to monitor cases

MILWAUKEE - Wisconsin’s neighboring state Illinois is dealing with a measles outbreak, but are Wisconsinites at risk?

Ascension Wisconsin pediatrician Margaret Hennessy is preparing her team. After 12 measles cases were confirmed in Chicago, she said clinicians in Wisconsin need to be ready. 

"It makes me very nervous as a physician," Hennessy said. "Honestly, most of us never saw it, we’ve never seen measles."

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According to the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, data from 2021 shows more than 80% of people in Milwaukee County are vaccinated. Statewide, nearly 70% are.

Margaret Hennessy

But it’s highly contagious.

"Literally, if someone sharing the airspace in this building [has] measles, and they’re gone for two hours, this area for two hours is still contaminated," Hennessy said.

That’s why she fears the virus will make its way to Wisconsin, especially if people refuse to get the vaccine.

"It’s frightening for me that this could become more of a thing," she said.

Hennessy said it's a good time to check your vaccination status.

She said the symptoms to look for are similar to most viruses, including a cough, runny nose, fever and a rash.

"It starts around the hairline behind the ears as little red dots, and then it spreads downward," she said.

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Children's Wisconsin said it is also on alert for any suspect cases and the clinicians are aware of the rising cases nationwide.

The CDC is recommending getting vaccinated two weeks before going on a trip.

The last time Milwaukee had a confirmed case of the measles was in October 2023.