Measles at Midway: ‘This Is Going to Keep Happening’

Measles outbreaks will continue until laws change to enforce vaccinations, expert says

CHICAGO --- In light of recent news that travelers at Midway International Airport last week may have been exposed to measles, Northwestern Medicine infectious disease expert Dr. Robert Murphy is available to speak to the media.

Murphy can discuss how contagious the virus is, how quickly it can spread and the problems that can arise when people don’t get vaccinated. 

“This is going to keep happening until they change the law,” said Murphy, a professor of medicine in infectious diseases at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “They can’t let these people stay unvaccinated.”

Murphy is available for phone and local on-camera interviews. He will only be available for phone interviews beginning March 4 due to travel. Murphy can be reached by phone at (mobile) 312-404-1352 or [email protected]. 

Reacting to recent news that a Texas lawmaker believes there are antibiotics that can treat measles, Murphy said, “Wrong. There aren’t any.”

While hospitals can usually isolate people quickly, schools and daycares are a different story, Murphy said. 

“The big risk is in daycare centers because the workers bring it in and spread it,” he said.