From O’Hare to hospitals, here’s how Chicago is preparing for Ebola

As a major hub for international travel, Chicago is no stranger to preparing for and dealing with deadly infectious diseases.

The city developed the strategy and is drawing on lessons learned from the Ebola outbreak in West Africa more than a decade ago. deadly virus It is rapidly increasing in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Public health leaders and infectious disease experts are preparing everything from where to send patients in Chicago if they develop symptoms to how to safely transport travelers to the overcrowded O’Hare Airport.

Here’s what you need to know:

First of all, the risk of Ebola reaching Chicago is low.

According to the Chicago Department of Public Health, there are no confirmed cases of Ebola in the city. It is not very contagious because people cannot spread the virus unless they have symptoms such as nausea or diarrhea. That means it’s easier to protect people than if the coronavirus spread quickly through the air, said Dr. Larry Kociolek, vice president of system preparedness, prevention and response at Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago.

The main route for Ebola to arrive is through travelers to O’Hare. But that risk has been reduced.

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security Set routes for all flights This includes passengers who have recently traveled to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, or South Sudan, where the virus is surging or near, and who traveled to Washington, D.C.’s Washington Dulles International Airport for enhanced Ebola testing, but not to O’Hare.

Chicago trains regularly for this

Public health and hospital leaders have met regularly to share information since the 2014 Ebola outbreak prompted the city of Chicago to develop a plan in case the epidemic arrived.

Everyone from doctors to firefighters are practicing what to do, including how to carefully draw blood from someone infected with the virus, how to put on and take off all the protective equipment needed to treat a patient, and how to prepare an ambulance to safely transport a sick person.

It wasn’t that long ago that COVID-19 put these skills to the test.

Still, what will happen? Has anyone developed symptoms of Ebola?

There are two designated hospitals where anyone in Illinois can receive treatment. Adults went to Rush University Medical Center on the Near West Side, while children and teens went to Lurie near downtown.

Hospitals can quickly convert large spaces or a few patient rooms into biocontainment units to treat people with dangerous and highly infectious diseases.

Rush and Lurie can each treat up to two patients at a time, which doesn’t seem like a lot, but hospital leaders explained how treating Ebola patients can be resource-intensive. For example, you might need one room to treat patients and another room for nurses and doctors to change into protective gear. Blood tests require the use of proprietary equipment rather than general hospital laboratories and require specialized transport of medical waste.

Up to 50 properly trained people can care for just one patient within 24 hours of arrival, Rush said.

“The stakes are much higher and maintaining those types of facilities and equipment is incredibly expensive,” Kociolek said.

There is still no cure or treatment for Ebola swelling. But Kociolek said if a patient becomes dehydrated, doctors can give them an IV or put them on a ventilator to help them breathe.

Although the risk from Ebola is slightly higher than it was before the outbreak, Kociolek isn’t too worried. “For us, it’s just like any other day.”

Dr. Brian Stein, chief quality officer at Rush University System for Health, said that even while Ebola patients are being treated, “there is no threat to other patients,” and he encourages patients to come to the hospital for emergency or routine care.

Both hospitals last year received a government subsidy To assist with training and equipment costs.

Are politics getting in the way of preparedness?

Public health officials in Illinois, a Democratic stronghold, are at odds with the Republican Trump administration, particularly over childhood vaccines. But Dr. Emily Landon, an infectious disease expert at the University of Chicago School of Medicine, said public health officials are working together to limit the spread.

“As long as we stick to the measures that we know can protect individuals and communities, I think we’ll be in pretty good shape,” Landon said.

It’s the Trump administration withdrew Dr. Alex Sloboda, deputy commissioner for emergency preparedness and immunization at the Chicago Department of Public Health, said Chicago is still receiving information from the World Health Organization.

Should I fly over Memorial Day weekend or during summer vacation?

Kociolek’s advice: “Don’t be afraid and be aware of the situation. No matter where you travel, just keep the threat of infectious disease in mind.”

The CDC advises against non-essential travel to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where measles is endemic in parts of the United States and other countries. Travelers can look up guidance here.

The Sun-Times’ Elvia Malagon contributed.

Kristen Schorsch covers local health for WBEZ.