Curie Brief
Turn on cookies to sign in
Signing in saves your progress to your Curie account. We can only do that with cookies on — turn them on to continue.
News
A 2024 measles outbreak at two Chicago shelters for newly arrived unhoused people carried a staggering $8.7 million price tag, according to a new CDC-backed study in JAMA Network Open. The outbreak infected 57 people and required tracing nearly 3,600 contacts. Researchers say rapid vaccination and isolation contained the spread — but the bill still ranks among the most expensive in the post-elimination era.
A measles outbreak at two Chicago shelters for newly arrived unhoused people in early 2024 cost an estimated $8.7 million — one of the most expensive outbreak responses in the U.S. since measles was declared eliminated in 2000. The findings, published in JAMA Network Open by CDC and Illinois public health researchers, break down the full societal cost of the March–April 2024 event.
The outbreak infected 57 people (median age: 3 years) and prompted authorities to trace 3,569 contacts. Costs spanned public health personnel, mass vaccination, lab testing, hospitalizations, and lost productivity — including over 17,000 missed school days.
By the Numbers:
Why it matters: This outbreak illustrates just how costly vaccine-preventable disease can be, especially in congregate settings with undervaccinated populations. Researchers recommend vaccinating new shelter residents on arrival and funding non-hospital isolation spaces to reduce future costs and transmission.
