Health officials are asking travellers who were at Chicago O’Hare International Airport’s Terminal 5 on October 15 to call the DuPage County Health Department, after a vaccinated resident tested positive for measles.
The resident returned from an international trip last Thursday and was at Terminal 5 between 4:20 p.m. and 7 p.m. Anyone there during that window should call 630-682-7400. Health officials described it as a “rare breakthrough infection.”
Illinois has recorded 24 confirmed measles cases so far this year. The O’Hare alert follows a separate exposure notice last month involving an out-of-state traveller at Chicago’s Union Station.
Why airports matter
Measles is one of the most contagious viruses known, and airports are its perfect vector: thousands of people from around the world, recirculated air, prolonged proximity. A single infectious traveller can expose hundreds.
The US Kenya travel advisory shows how seriously authorities take cross-border spread. For DuPage, the concern is local: tracing everyone who shared Terminal 5 during those three hours.
What travellers should do
Check your vaccination status before flying, especially internationally. If you were at O’Hare T5 on October 15, monitor for symptoms, fever, cough, rash, for 21 days. This report has the health department’s guidance.
The virus travels. Make sure your immunity does too.
