Elgin Community College to get MMR vaccine for students and staff

Following the confirmation of a confirmed measles case in a Elgin Community College (ECC) student Tuesday, the Kane County Health Department informed the college that they will be offering the measles vaccine to unvaccinated students and employees who may have had contact with our student with measles.

Measles rash
Image/CDC

Health Department Executive Director Barb Jeffers said the county expects to receive the Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Vaccine from the Illinois Department of Public Health on Thursday, Feb. 12, 2015.

On Friday and again on Tuesday, the Health Department will offer the measles vaccine to those who were in the classroom or worked at the college in those areas where exposure may have occurred.

The vaccine will be offered free of charge and limited to individuals at the college who have not been vaccinated. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the measles vaccine is very effective. One dose of measles vaccine is about 93 percent effective at preventing measles if exposed to the virus.

"We felt it was important to be proactive," Jeffers said. "Part of our mission is to protect and promote health, and prevent disease, and that's exactly what were hoping to do here.

"We're working very closely with officials from Elgin Community Community College, and they were very gracious and accommodating in allowing us to come to their facility," Jeffers added. "I also want to thank the professionals at the Illinois Department of Public Health. They said, 'We will be there tomorrow.' I am grateful that they could respond so quickly."

The ECC student is a Cook County resident associated with the KinderCare outbreak, according to a NBC Chicago report Wednesday.

Cook County Department of Public Health officials say they have confirmed an 11th measles case in the county. To date, 10 of the cases are related to the Palatine KinderCare Learning Center.