Mother reveals vaccinated son, 3, caught MEASLES in Chicago outbreak linked to ... trends now
The mother of a toddler with measles has revealed how she thought he would 'die in my arms' after the little one fell sick with the extremely infectious disease.
Jessica Colleti, from Chicago, said her son Vincent, three, developed a fiery, red, rash on his face in early March that rapidly spread 'all the way down his body'.
Within days of feeling sick, he had a 'super empty' and vacant look in his eyes and almost completely stopped moving and speaking.
'I honestly thought he was going to die in my arms,' she said. 'I just kept telling him that "mommy's getting help, and you're going to be okay".'
'I didn't think that [this] would happen to us. I never would have thought he would come back positive for measles'.
Vincent is one of around 130 Americans struck with measles this year, amid warnings that falling vaccination rates and surging immigration is leaving America's children more vulnerable to the disease than ever before.
The family, who say their 10-month-old also got sick, do not know where Vincent caught the virus, but they live in the same city as the Pilsen migrant center that is thought to be the source of Chicago's outbreak.
Vincent Coletti, 3, pictured above, was admitted to hospital with measles. His mother said she was worried he would not survive
The above pictures show Vincent's rash as it spread down his chest and onto his arms. It is the small red marks across his body
Migrants pictured at a makeshift shelter in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood, where many are being moved to. There has been an outbreak of measles and tuberculosis linked to the shelter
Ms Coletti said she rushed her son to hospital on Monday after a neighbor who was a nurse checked him over, where doctors quickly confirmed the infection.
He spent a night in the ER and received fluids, before being discharged with medications as doctors — with Ms Coletti told to bring him back if he worsened.
At home, he battled a fever of 105F (40C) for five days before finally recovering from the infection.
Ms Coletti pictured with her son Vincent before the diagnosis. It is not clear where he became infected
Vincent had received his first dose of the vaccine against measles, his mother said, but hadn't yet got the second because he was too young. He is said to be up to date on all other vaccines.
The CDC says infants should receive their first dose of the measles vaccine at the age of 12 to 15 months, and their second dose between the ages of four to six years.
Studies show the first dose is 93 percent effective against the virus while the second is 97 percent effective.
Vaccinated people can still get sick, doctors say, but they have a much milder infection because they already have immunity.
The mother was worried for her young daughter Vanna who was too young to receive any vaccinations against the disease at the time Vincent was diagnosed.
'I know for our specific case, for my son, I have never seen him sicker,' she told WGN Chicago.
'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... I felt like I could not get him better.'
In Chicago, many migrants have been packed into buildings in the Pilsen neighborhood for shelter — which have been completely overrun after more than 25,000 migrants arrived in the city over the past 16 months, including 2,400 who were housed at the shelters.
A total of 31 measles cases have already been diagnosed at the shelter, while officials also say some residents have
