Cook County measles outbreak has cost health departments $150,000
The recent Cook County measles outbreak has cost the state and suburban health departments at least $150,000, officials said.
Illinois hasn't seen a new measles case since Feb. 25 when an adult from the Northwest suburbs was diagnosed.
Suburban Cook County, where 13 of the state's 15 cases were linked to a Palatine KinderCare, shouldered a majority of the measles outbreak costs.
The Cook County Department of Public Health spent $100,000 to contain the outbreak. This price accounts for supplies, extra vaccines and work hours, says Cook County Department of Public Health spokesman Sean McDermott.
The state's public health department spent an additional $50,000 this year to curb Illinois' measles outbreak. This includes $10,000 in laboratory testing and $40,000 for measles vaccines.
The amount doesn't account for extra staff time combating the spread of measles costs, Melaney Arnold, Illinois Department of Public Health spokeswoman, said.
In any outbreak, a bulk of the cost associated with the controlling the disease falls on city or county health departments, she said.
“During an outbreak, like the measles, IDPH staff help local health department staff investigate the source of the outbreak, potential exposures and how to prevent the further spread,” Arnold said.
Kane County, where an Elgin Community College student contacted measles last month, didn't have to spend as much as Cook County, but there was a cost.
“We had seven or eight staff members working overtime hours during the week and on Lincoln's Birthday,” Kane County Health Department spokesman Tom Schlueter said.
Kane County also offered vaccinations, but the vaccines came from the state, Schlueter said.
Costs were minimal in DuPage County, too.
“In situations where we have actual cases, we track hours and expense, but not this time,” said DuPage County Health Department Public Information Officer Dave Hass.
At a time when several state agencies could face steep cuts in Gov. Bruce Rauner's first budget draft, the health department's core functions were spared.
“The governor's budget in no way alters or undermines IDPH's ability to detect and respond to an outbreak, such as measles,” Arnold said. “Funding for local health departments, which are the front-line in any outbreak, is maintained in full.”