Feb. 12--Five children diagnosed with measles are no longer contagious and have been cleared to return to their Palatine day care center, said a company spokeswoman.
Colleen Moran, a spokeswoman for KinderCare Learning Centers, said Wednesday that five of the eight infants at the center diagnosed with measles have been cleared to return by the Cook County Department of Public Health.
While she had not talked with any of the parents, "we certainly hope to have them back by next week," Moran said. "We certainly have not heard anything that would indicate otherwise."
Eight infants -- too young to receive the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine -- contracted the highly contagious disease, it was announced last week by health officials, who emphasized that getting immunized is the best protection against the disease.
An adult who had contact with the day care and is not an employee was also diagnosed, Moran said.
In reaction to the Palatine cases, KinderCare, the national chain that oversees the north suburban day care center, said it is requiring all staff working with children younger than 15 months to be vaccinated, according to a letter addressed to families.
Eleven measles cases have been diagnosed statewide -- all in Cook County -- in recent weeks, said Melaney Arnold, spokeswoman for the Department of Public Health.
brubin@tribpub.com
