HEALTH DEPARTMENT UNDERSTANDS LOCAL EBOLA CONCERNS, ENCOURAGES VISITS TO ITS WEBSITE Oct. 22, 2014

For Immediate Release October 22, 2014
News media calls to Vic Reato:  Media Services Manager at (815) 727-5088
Agency Website: www.willcountyhealth.org
Twitter: WillCoHealth

HEALTH DEPARTMENT UNDERSTANDS LOCAL EBOLA CONCERNS, ENCOURAGES VISITS TO ITS WEBSITE

Joliet – Since October 10, when the National Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced the first U.S. Ebola fatality, the Will County Health Department has fielded several public inquiries regarding Ebola.

In light of public concerns, the Health Department wishes to provide area residents with the most current and relevant Ebola information so that everyone has the facts. We urge area residents to regard the Health Department as a repository for all local, regional, and national public health information, and we urge residents to visit our website (www.willcountyhealth.org), for answers to any questions they may have regarding any public health issue. Health Department Executive Director John Cicero says agency Infectious Disease personnel, Emergency Response professionals, and other Management Team members are working diligently behind the scenes to help coordinate the most appropriate Ebola response plans.

“We continue to meet regularly with our community health partners and other local units of government to make sure we are all on the same page regarding Ebola protocol,” Cicero said. “We are working to insure that area physicians, hospitals, and other community partners receive the latest Ebola guidance from CDC, and we have an internal Ebola meeting every morning to assess what has been done so far and what we can do to insure an appropriate response down the road. The Ebola situation is extremely fluid and we must be prepared for any eventuality.”
 

The Health Department website contains a link to CDC’s Ebola website and news regarding current Ebola developments. The site is updated daily.

On October 10, Will County Infectious Disease distributed an Ebola algorithm to area healthcare providers, hospitals, emergency rooms and urgent patient care centers. The algorithm is a tool health professionals can use to aid in the identification and triage of patients who may have Ebola.

The Illinois Department of Public Health has established an Ebola hotline available 24 hours daily to answer questions from the public. The service is available at 1-800-889-3931. The State Ebola website is available at http://www.idph.state.il.us/ebola/index.htm.