Cost of a Measles Outbreak in an Urban Shelter
JAMA Network Open 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2026.35328September 22, 2026 at 11:00 AM EDT
This economic evaluation of a measles outbreak in a congregate setting found complex response challenges that contributed to substantial costs. This outbreak response was one of the most expensive in the measles postelimination era due to the large costs associated with vaccination and isolation and quarantine in hospitals. Though the outbreak placed a considerable cost burden on both public health and health care systems, rapid disease identification and mass vaccination among shelter residents prevented a more costly and larger outbreak. Strategies to reduce disease transmission and costs during outbreaks among undervaccinated populations living in congregate settings may include funding non–health care isolation and quarantine spaces and vaccinating new shelter residents on arrival.
From March 7 to April 30, 2024, a measles outbreak in a Chicago, Illinois shelter resulted in 57 measles cases. This economic evaluation study estimated the cost of the outbreak to be approximately $8.7 million ($153,000 per case), including $3.6 million in response costs, $4.4 million in direct medical costs, and $684,000 in productivity losses. Researchers counted 17,113 missed school days among affected children.
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