Another child has been hospitalized after reporting symptoms of fever and illness at a Pilsen migrant shelter where a 5-year-old child died over the weekend.
According to a spokesperson with the Chicago Fire Department, the 8-year-old was complaining of a fever when they sought medical assistance at the facility in the 2200 block of South Halsted on Monday.
The spokesperson also said that “several” other individuals required hospitalization, including a 1-year-old girl and a 4-year-old girl. An 18-year-old woman was also hospitalized early Monday, fire officials said.
The news comes after 5-year-old Jean Carlos Martinez Rivero died over the weekend. According to officials, Jean fell ill and was taken to Comer Children’s Hospital on Sunday afternoon.
He was pronounced dead a short time later.
The cause of death has not been released, and police say an investigation remains ongoing. Sources tell NBC Chicago that the incident “does not appear to be criminal in nature at this time,” with health and fire officials continuing to look into the child’s death.
According to a spokesperson for the Chicago Department of Public Health, they are looking into Rivero’s death, and said that illnesses have been reported at multiple city shelters, including the Pilsen location.
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“Cases of varicella have been reported in new arrivals, both children and adults, including at the shelter location on Halsted Street,” a spokesperson said. In response, the CDPH team has consulted with shelter managers and other facilities to provide infection control guidance to prevent spread. CDPH has requested, and received, additional varicella vaccine and federal support to administer additional vaccine doses in shelter settings at no-cost to new arrivals or the city.”
Varicella is commonly known as chickenpox and is highly contagious. The illness can cause itchy, blister-like rash, and can also include symptoms like headache, fever and loss of appetite.
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It is not known at this time whether Rivero was infected with chickenpox at the time of his death, CDPH officials said.
The news comes as Chicago officials say that all asylum seekers have been moved from police stations into temporary shelters or permanent housing.
Nearly 26,000 individuals seeking asylum have arrived in Chicago since Aug. 2022. Currently, the city is providing shelter for nearly 14,000 individuals in 27 different temporary shelters.
