During a portion of an interview with NBC News aired on Thursday’s edition of “NBC Nightly News,” Chicago Department Of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Olusimbo “Simbo” Ige responded to a question on whether the measles outbreak in the city where most of the cases were traced back to a city migrant shelter is under control by stating that “we are trying to get it under control by vaccinating as many people as possible.” Ige also noted that vaccination does take time.
NBC News Correspondent Jesse Kirsch asked, “At this point, would you say the situation is under control?”
Ige answered, “Well, measles is quite contagious, and it spreads among those who are not vaccinated. So, we are trying to get it under control by vaccinating as many people as possible.”
Kirsch then stated, “Chicago’s Commissioner of Public Health says the city has vaccinated more than 900 shelter residents, but that was after the outbreak began, and immunization takes time.”
He then played a clip of Ige saying, “It takes 21 days for the vaccines to become effective.”
Kirsch also stated, “Chicago’s outbreak underscores that new migrant arrivals can mean new public health challenges. Many here come from Venezuela, which has a low measles vaccination rate.” And that the city says it is attempting to create more space and is “also now offering vaccines right here at the city’s landing zone when migrants get off buses to help protect against the potentially deadly measles virus.”
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