Chicago mother shares story after son’s measles diagnoses
CHICAGO — A Chicago mother is sharing her story after her son, who is vaccinated, battled the measles virus.
For five days, Jessica Coletti’s three-year-old son battled fevers over 105 degrees.
15 cases of measles reported so far in Chicago in 2024
“I know for our specific case, for my son, I have never seen him sicker,” Coletti said. “I had never been more worried, or scared, or tired. From fighting fevers for five days and just trying to figure out how to get him better and I felt like I could not get him better.”
Coletti said his symptoms started around March 7.
“I was shocked, honestly, didn’t think that that would happen to us,” Coletti said. “We weren’t by the 12 cases and they still can’t link us to the 12 cases. Now I think it’s 15 but I almost couldn’t believe it.”
What was even more surprising was her son was vaccinated against the disease.
“All of his vaccines are up to date,” she said. “He had his MMR at 1 and then he wouldn’t be due for the second dose until he was four, and he’s only three.”
Coletti said the city has been in contact with their family but they are not included in community exposure locations listed on the website.
She’s worried others were exposed unknowingly, just like her family was.
“I just think triage nurses were not prepared at that time we went in the hospital to look for those symptoms or know what those symptoms were and that’s the scary part,” she said. “I think now everybody’s a little bit more prepared, but as of that Monday, I don’t think anybody thought that these cases were going to start coming in like they were.
As of Wednesday, the Chicago Department of Public Health reported 15 cases of measles in the city so far this month.
But Coletti wants others to be on the lookout that this could happen, even if people are vaccinated.
“It’s for other parents to be aware that it could happen to you, you can pick it up anywhere,” she said. “The symptoms will mimic other things and that rash will let you know.”
Now, she’s worried about her 10-month-old daughter who is also very sick and isolating.
But in her case, she’s still too young to get vaccinated.
“She’s not vaccinated for the MMR because she’s too young and that could be a different case than my son’s case was and it’s up in the air what’s going to happen,” she said.
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