advertisement

Adult may be in the clear after Chicago Ebola screening; child still quarantined

An adult admitted to Rush University Medical Center Tuesday for Ebola virus monitoring after flying from Liberia was listed in good condition Wednesday and removed from the hospital's isolation unit.

“It was determined that it was not necessary to test the patient for Ebola,” Rush spokeswoman Deb Song said in a statement.

Meanwhile, a child remains in the isolation unit at the University of Chicago Medical Center after vomiting on a flight from Liberia to O'Hare International Airport.

A University of Chicago Hospital spokeswoman said she was awaiting word on Wednesday whether the child would be tested for Ebola. Although listed as “stable,” the child is being kept in quarantine until his or her condition improves.

The child became ill on the flight Tuesday, but screening at O'Hare didn't indicate a fever and there was no history of exposure to Ebola while in Liberia. The child was taken first to Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago for an evaluation, then transported to UCMC.

Both patients had arrived at O'Hare from Liberia on separate flights.

The adult, who was traveling alone and had not been exposed to Ebola, reported having contracted typhoid fever in August. New protocols required an evaluation at a Chicago Ebola Resource Network hospital.

There have been no confirmed cases of Ebola in the Chicago area and the public is not at risk, public health officials said Wednesday.

University of Chicago, Rush, Lurie and Northwest Memorial hospitals along with the Chicago Department of Public Health are part of the Chicago Ebola Resource Network, a coalition formed to respond to possible cases of Ebola in the area.

The Centers for Disease Control has instituted screening of passengers arriving from Ebola hot spots — Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone — at O'Hare, JFK, Washington-Dulles, Newark and Atlanta international airports.

There are no direct flights from west Africa into O'Hare, the Chicago Department of Aviation said.

Although there's no “typical” routing for trips from the affected countries to Chicago, recent flights from Sierra Leone stopped in Brussels, Belgium and Frankfurt, Germany, according to Travelocity.

The Ebola virus is not an airborne one, officials said. Instead, people can be infected by direct contact with blood or other body fluids such as vomit, urine, sweat or semen from a person infected with the virus.

Illinois health department plans Ebola hotline

2nd Texas health worker with Ebola was on flight from Cleveland

Obama: Ebola monitoring must be 'more aggressive'

Illinois hospitals preparing for Ebola

Spaniard with Ebola beats the disease, test shows

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.