Chicago Faces TB, Measles Outbreak In Migrant Shelters
Chicago is seeing a troubling outbreak of tuberculosis (TB) within several migrant shelters across the city in combination with a surge in measles. The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) is leading the city’s response to the dual outbreaks. According to the CDPH, several TB cases have been identified across various shelters. The bacterial infection primarily affecting the lungs has prompted intensified efforts in contact tracing and medical treatment, ensuring the well-being of both migrants and the broader community.
The newly confirmed TB cases follow more than 55 measles diagnoses, predominantly within the Pilsen migrant shelter.
In the city of Chicago, officials announced that there has been an outbreak of tuberculosis (TB) in several shelters currently housing illegal aliens.https://t.co/X1QmdDV7rn
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“The CDPH is aware of a small number of cases of TB among new arrivals in a few different shelters over the course of the response,” a statement from the health agency disclosed. With TB not being a stranger to Chicago — the city anticipates between 100 and 150 TB cases among residents annually — the current situation underscores a growing concern over the health standards and the potential for spread within densely populated shelters.
Chicago Alderman Raymond Lopez (D) criticized the city’s handling of the migrant health crisis. Lopez argued that the outbreaks could have been prevented with stricter adherence to vaccination standards. “This is a crisis we could have avoided, just like with the measles, if we had simply instituted the American standard of vaccines upon all those migrants being shipped to the city of Chicago,” Lopez said.
The backdrop to this health emergency is the broader national context, where tuberculosis cases in the U.S. have hit a decade high, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
University of Chicago Associate Professor of Medicine Aniruddha Hazrahave has addressed the outbreak, telling reporters about the complexity of TB vaccination and its effectiveness. The most commonly used vaccine, BCG, is not normally used in the U.S. and has had only limited effectiveness in other parts of the world. “There is no effective vaccine against tuberculosis,” Dr. Hazra said.