CHICAGO (WLS) — Chicago hospitals say they are more prepared than ever to respond to a potential case of Ebola as a deadly outbreak in Africa continues to spread.
The outbreak in Central Africa is the second largest in history, with nearly 10,000 cases reported since it began six months ago.
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Health officials have reported cases in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Kenya, Nigeria, Uganda and France. No cases have been reported in the United States and officials say the risk to Americans at home remains low.
At Rush University Medical Center, members of the hospital’s infectious disease unit recently demonstrated the facility’s capabilities in treating highly infectious diseases, including Ebola.
“We’re on the 10th floor of our medical intensive care unit,” said Dr. Brian Stein, the medical center’s chief quality officer.
Stein said Rush has a specialized infrastructure designed to contain dangerous, highly infectious pathogens.
“We have the ability to turn this whole unit into negative pressure,” Stein said.
“The airflow would actually flow through the room and be drawn into the room rather than pushed down a hallway.”
Hospital officials said these preparations were intended to deal with a worst-case outbreak, sometimes called a “black swan.” With O’Hare International Airport serving as a major international hub, infectious disease specialists say global travel remains a factor in disease transmission.
“The reality is that a person with Ebola could get on a plane and show up anywhere in the world,” said Dr. Michael Lin, an infectious disease specialist at Rush University Medical Center.
At the same time, Lin said widespread transmission in the United States remained unlikely.
“We don’t think there’s pandemic potential in the United States from the standpoint of large-scale spread,” he said.
According to Rush officials, only Rush University Medical Center and Lurie Children’s Hospital in Chicago are designated centers to treat highly infectious diseases such as Ebola.
Rush CEO Dr. Omar Lateef said hospitals made significant changes following the Ebola scare in 2014, when health systems scrambled to establish facilities capable of handling infectious disease outbreaks.
“When this first happened and patients arrived on U.S. soil with Ebola, we had to make sure we had adequate resources to take care of those patients,” Lateef said.
He said health care providers have since gained valuable experience that has strengthened preparedness efforts.
“What’s different now is we’ve had the experience of being prepared mentally, physically and having the resources,” Lateef said.
Lateef also highlighted lessons learned during the COVID-19 pandemic, saying the experience has reshaped how health systems collaborate during public health emergencies.
“We are learning to break through fragmentation to work together. Many communities stop working in isolation, like one health system and another health system,” Lateef said. “These experiences from the past will help us for the future. Whether it’s Ebola or the next infectious disease.”
As health officials continue efforts to control the outbreak overseas, Chicago hospitals say they are drawing on lessons from past public health crises and specialized facilities to prepare for the possibility of future infectious disease threats.
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