Will County Health Department Addresses Ebola Fears, Prepares Response Plan

By Shannon Antinori (Patch Staff)

With two confirmed cases of the virus contracted in the U.S. and one fatality, Will County Health Department officials say they understand residents’ fears about Ebola, and urged anyone with questions to visit the health department website.

Officials said the health department has received several inquiries about the virus since the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the first U.S. Ebola fatality on Oct. 10.

Fear of Ebola hit close to home on Wednesday, when officials announced that two passengers, both traveling separately from Liberia, were being evaluated after arriving at Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport. One passenger, an adult, reported experiencing nausea and diarrhea, while the other, a child, became ill on his flight and vomited once. Officials reportedly decided against screening them for Ebola, although the child remains in isolation at University of Chicago Medical Center’s Lurie Children’s Hospital and his family is under quarantine, health officials said. The adult was taken to Rush University Medical Center.

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In light of public concerns, the Will County Health Department said it is working to provide area residents with the most current and relevant Ebola information so that everyone has the facts.

“We urge area residents to regard the Health Department as a repository for all local, regional, and national public health information, and we urge residents to visit our website ( www.willcountyhealth.org), for answers to any questions they may have regarding any public health issue,” officials said in a press release Thursday morning. Health department Executive Director John Cicero said agency Infectious Disease personnel, Emergency Response professionals and other Management Team members are working diligently behind the scenes to help coordinate the most appropriate Ebola response plans.

“We continue to meet regularly with our community health partners and other local units of government to make sure we are all on the same page regarding Ebola protocol,” Cicero said. “We are working to insure that area physicians, hospitals, and other community partners receive the latest Ebola guidance from CDC, and we have an internal Ebola meeting every morning to assess what has been done so far and what we can do to insure an appropriate response down the road. The Ebola situation is extremely fluid and we must be prepared for any eventuality.”

The health department website contains a link to CDC’s Ebola website and news regarding current Ebola developments. The site is updated daily, according to health officials.

On Oct. 10, Will County Infectious Disease distributed an Ebola algorithm to area healthcare providers, hospitals, emergency rooms and urgent patient care centers. The algorithm is a tool health professionals can use to aid in the identification and triage of patients who may have Ebola, officials said.

The Illinois Department of Public Health has also established an Ebola hotline available 24 hours daily to answer questions from the public. The service is available at 1-800-889-3931. The state Ebola website is available athttp://www.idph.state.il.us/ebola/index.