Chicago airport travelers had been exposed to measles which is among the highly contagious and infectious diseases.  Ideally, one infected individual arrived at the airport, and other passengers were exposed to the infection on that day.  Following this incident, the local health department tried to notify state residents who would have been in contact with the infected individual’s flight and also warned of possible infections in the emergency department where people might sort treatment (Galvin).

A measles outbreak is a severe concern mainly because it spread through sneezing and coughing and it is so contagious that an individual who comes into contact with the virus and was not immunized becomes sick.  Also, an infected individual can quickly spread the virus without realizing it.  For instance, as from Thursday the same week, there were about five cases of measles reported in Illinois, and this is primarily because unvaccinated people traveled overseas from places where measles are common.  Also, measles spread rapidly in regions with some unvaccinated people.

There are numerous profound reasons why emergency services managers should pay attention to the measles outbreak.  Firstly, the infected individuals might seek medical intervention and visit the hospital. And as a result, the emergency service managers should be aware of the measles outbreak and take drastic measure to protect the infection from spreading in the hospital. In the same token, the measles outbreak will oblige the emergency service managers to create unique isolation rooms in the hospitals to contain and attend to the infected individuals. Also, the emergency team must pay attention to the measles outbreak by urging everyone to make sure they and their family members are up-to-date with immunization, mostly those traveling to other countries where measles is common.

References

Galvin, Gaby. Measles Exposure Possible at Chicago Airport. 1 March 2019. <https://www.usnews.com/news/healthiest-communities/articles/2019-03-01/measles-exposure-possible-at-chicago-midway-airport>.