SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WTWO/WAWV)— The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) has announced its efforts it took to prevent the national spread of measles from further penetrating Illinois.
A total of eight cases, all linked to each other, were identified in Southern Illinois in April and May. Additionally, two other unrelated cases showed up in Cook County around the same time. During that time, the IDPH didn’t feel that this constituted an outbreak and that there would be no further spread besides the two individuals.
No new cases have been diagnosed since May 22. This means that if it were an outbreak, two full incubation cycles have passed (42 days) since the last confirmed case, meaning they could call it over.
When the first cases were identified in April, the IDPH mobilized local health departments to:
- Local health departments rapidly identified individuals who were infected or exposed, encouraged isolation and quarantine where needed, and monitored and provided guidance to affected individuals to ensure they were receiving proper care and had taken all necessary precautions to prevent further spread of the virus.
- The Franklin-Williamson Bi-County Health Department, Jackson County Health Department, and neighboring local health departments conducted vaccine outreach clinics in their communities. IDPH activated mobile vaccinations to assist with immunization efforts across the state, procuring emergency services from CIMPAR to deliver 14 mobile immunization clinics.
- IDPH launched a major, strategic measles communications effort targeting zip codes with school vaccination rates for MMR below 91 percent. More than 2.5 million people were reached through this effort.
- IDPH updated its website with easy to navigate measles information for healthcare facilities, parents, travelers and schools in addition to developing a new measles toolkit for health professionals.
- IDPH expanded its laboratory capacity to conduct in-house testing for the measles vaccine strain and reduce the turnaround time relative to awaiting results from the CDC.
- IDPH issued multiple health advisories, news releases, and social media posts, including an IDPH podcast episode devoted to information about measles and a Dear Colleague letter from Director Vohra addressing the department’s preparedness plans.
- IDPH sent messages to more than 2,000 school administrators and school nurses statewide to alert them to the potential for measles exposures in the school setting, survey them on potential barriers to vaccination, and advise them on actions to take.
- IDPH launched a measles school outbreak prediction dashboard to help local officials determine risk factors and evaluate what additional steps might be necessary.
- IDPH launched a pharmacist targeted survey on the statewide inventory related to medical counter measures (post exposure prophylaxis) against measle.
- IDPH engaged sister state agencies including the Departments of Children and Family Services, Healthcare and Family Services, Early Childhood, Human Services, and the State Board of Education, along with Regional Offices of Education, Head Start programs, and professional societies.
These cases took place during a period when the United States was seeing the largest cases since measles was “eliminated” from the U.S. in 2000. The CDC reported the highest number of annual cases in 33 years, with 1,288 cases across 39 jurisdictions in 2025. 92% of the cases affected unvaccinated people or those with questionable vaccination status. There have even been three deaths from the measles in 2025, equaling the number of deaths from 2001 to 2024.
“The end of this outbreak, capping at just 8 cases and no serious illnesses in Illinois, is a testament to the deliberate, decisive, and successful work of our public health and medical professionals,” said IDPH Director Dr. Sameer Vohra. “Public health is made stronger by the power of partnership, and this measles response was a coordinated effort that included IDPH, local health departments, as well as other dedicated community and health care partners. Vaccination remains our most effective tool to prevent measles. I recommend that Illinois residents make sure that they and their family members are up to date on the measles/mumps/rubella vaccine and all other age-appropriate immunizations.”
Immunization is a contributing factor in stopping the spread of outbreaks. The CDC stated that one dose of the measles/mumps/rubella vaccine is 93% effective, and two doses are 97% effective.
Measles is easily spread by coughing and sneezing and can cause serious complications, including pneumonia and brain infections that can lead to brain and nerve damage. Around one in five children under five years of age end up hospitalized with measles, where unvaccinated children experience severe illness or even death.
The IDPH stresses the importance of staying up to date on immunizations and reiterates that the MMR vaccine is much safer than natural infection. They also noted that there has been no link established between autism and the MMR vaccine through multiple scientific studies in the U.S. and abroad. The release from the IDPH states that since the COVID-19 pandemic, vaccination rates in the U.S. have dropped, creating a revival opportunity for diseases to spread.
The IDPH said they appreciated the intense level of time, dedication, and resources it took to mitigate an outbreak and mentioned the critical importance of public health emergency preparedness funding used in keeping Illinois safe.
