Ebola outbreak tops 10,000 cases as Chicago hospitals prepare

We also want to talk about the deadly Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo, just topping 10,000 cases with thousands of people already dead. Yeah, my understanding is about half of the cases that were confirmed are now fatalities, about 5,000 fatalities. It's wild. I know. It's so concerning. No cases linked to the outbreak have been reported here in the U.S. However, local hospitals are prepping for this possibility. So we are talking more about those efforts with Dr. Michael Lin. He is an infectious disease specialist at Rush University Medical Center. Dr. Lin, thank you for being here. What is your level of concern at this point here in the U.S.? Well, my level of concern in the U.S. is low. This is clearly an outbreak that's affecting the Democratic Republic of Congo. It's serious. As you mentioned, 10,000 infections and half dead. But here, it's very difficult for this kind of virus to spread in the United States. We do have public health layers of protection. And frankly, the virus itself doesn't spread like flu or COVID, it doesn't spread through the air. So you actually have to have very close contact with bodily fluids in order to catch this. Okay, so I mean, that's good to know. And it's good to hear that there are precautions being taken, preparations just in case. But talk a little bit about why Chicago would be a spot where we would want to prepare for the possibility of something like this. Well, Chicago has, of course, a lot of international travelers coming in and out. And any virus can just get on a plane via a traveler and spread to another country. So every city has to be prepared, and Chicago is no different. Hospitals have to be prepared as well. And so we have worked very closely, our hospital at Rush has worked very closely with public health authorities to be able to coordinate and to develop our own systems to be able to protect the public and to protect our health care workers. What kinds of measures are in place? Can you get specific about those systems? So if a traveler comes to O'Hare with suspected Ebola, public health authorities would coordinate an evaluation. And if there were a need for specialized care, Rush is a place where we could take a patient and evaluate them safely. And that involves investment in our infrastructure, having specialized rooms that can protect other people and keep any infection contained. And we have specialized protective equipment and also trained personnel. I should also mention that Lurie Children's does the same for children in the city of Chicago. And so I think it's this preparation that's really important from the standpoint of being ready and keeping the public safe. I mean, you also mentioned we have these layers of protection, we have plans in place, but then we're also hearing about thousands of deaths overseas. So what's happening that's different? Why is this in some cases so difficult to contain? So Ebola is a virus that the outbreaks have typically occurred in Africa and that's because of the way it jumps from animals such as bats to humans. But there are unique circumstances in Africa as well, especially in the area where Ebola is hitting hard right now. There's a lot of political unrest, just less resources for healthcare infrastructure in general. A lot of just treating patients with Ebola is supportive care, meaning just supporting their bodies, a patient's body, and getting them through the illness. And there's a lot of heroic activity being done in the Democratic Republic of Congo, but it's still unfortunately not enough given the scale of the disease that's spreading there. Dr. Lin, thank you for your perspective this morning. Thank you for joining us from Rush. Appreciate it.