Edward, Elmhurst Hospitals Place Special Restrictions on Visitors

By Amie Schaenzer

Special restrictions have been implemented for visitors of Edward-Elmhurst Healthcare hospital patients as local health officials work to better understand a rare respiratory virus that is sweeping the Midwest.

Starting on Thursday, no visitors under the age of 18 years old and no visitors of any age with cold or flu-like symptoms (cold, sore throat, difficulty breathing, wheezing, fever) will be allowed to visit hospitalized patients at Edward Hospital, Elmhurst Memorial Hospital or Linden Oaks at Edward, according to an Edward-Elmhurst Healthcare press release.

The restrictions have been made in light of a reported multi-state outbreak of a respiratory disease among children caused by Enterovirus D68 (EV-D68). Edward and Elmhurst Hospitals are currently experiencing an increase in Pediatric inpatient admissions and Pediatric ED visits over the past several weeks that may be related to this outbreak, hospitals officials said this week.

“Representatives from Edward and Elmhurst Memorial are working closely with Public Health officials to better understand this evolving situation,” according to the news release.

Read More: Local Health Officials Investigate Rare Respiratory Illness