Sunday morning as police briefed the media on a mass shooting that happened overnight, CBS 2 cameras stumbled upon a notice outside the 25th Police District some find concerning. It notified the community about an apparent measles outbreak inside the station, and added that those entering the building are putting themselves at risk.
The notice stated, “This facility has been contaminated by a measles outbreak. By entering, you are agreeing to accept this risk.”
Sunday night, the city answered, telling CBS 2 they do not consider this a public health crisis.
When CBS 2 started asking questions about the situation, that notice was promptly taken down. Sunday night the city said a measles outbreak is unlikely but insisted that they are monitoring the situation.
The city released the following statement:
The Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) continues to consult with Cook County and community health partners on the health of new arrivals, and while precautions were taken this morning out of an abundance of caution, at this time measles is very unlikely. Normal operations have resumed for the 25th police district station. It is important to note that due to high vaccination coverage, vaccine-preventable diseases like measles, mumps, rubella, polio, and varicella (chicken pox) are rare in the U.S. and most Chicagoans are protected through routine childhood vaccinations or in some cases through childhood infections. While this is a challenging situation, we do not consider this a public health crisis, and reports that migrants may be the source of disease spread in Chicago are inaccurate and can fuel xenophobia. The City is continuing to monitor the situation with our partners and providing appropriate guidance and services as needed.
According to police sources, the sign, which CBS 2 first took note of Sunday morning, was posted after supervisors believed three cases of measles were reported inside the building.