Ebola scare at Advocate highlights protocols

When a patient with flu-like symptoms said he had recently traveled to Africa, health care workers at Advocate Christ Medical Center in Oak Lawn were given their first opportunity to implement protocols for something they were prepared for but had never dealt with: a patient potentially infected with the Ebola virus.

The patient, in fact, hadn't been to Africa and didn't have Ebola. But the way the incident was handled mirrors concerns around the country since the first travel-related case of Ebola was reported in the United States.

"When you have world travel, there's always potential for disease," said Dr. James Malow, co-chair of the infection prevention team at Advocate Health Care. "The thing with Ebola is, there's a 50 percent mortality rate and no treatment."

Malow said the likelihood of an outbreak in the U.S. "is almost zero." But Advocate and other local health care systems are prepared to partner with federal, state and local officials "so in the unlikely event that a patient with Ebola shows up in Chicago, we can contain it (as) quickly as possible," Malow said.

Medical personnel are instructed to ask about a patient's travel as part of routine questioning, given the number of communicable diseases overseas, Malow said. Because of the current Ebola epidemic, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends against nonessential travel to three West African countries: Liberia, Guinea and Sierra Leone.

As a part of a CDC checklist and risk assessment, medical staff will check if symptoms, including fever, severe headache and vomiting, fall within the 21-day incubation period for Ebola.

"If you walk in and say, 'I just flew back from Sierra Leone two days ago, now I'm running a fever,' you would be admitted immediately," Malow said. "The patient would be put in a private room in isolation and we would follow CDC protocols, which have been the bible on how to handle these patients."

Hospital workers must wear gowns, gloves, masks and a face shield or goggles to avoid secretions, since Ebola is spread through blood or bodily fluids.

Malow said in the case this week at Advocate Christ Medical Center, the patient was isolated. Employees contacted the CDC and the Cook County and Illinois public health departments "out of an abundance of caution," according to a statement from the hospital.

Agencies confirmed that the patient had not traveled to Africa and there were no indications of an Ebola infection.

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Ebola scare at Advocate highlights protocols