Statement from the Illinois Department of Public Health and Chicago Ebola Resource Network

CHICAGO - The following is a joint statement from the Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) and members of the Chicago Ebola Resource Network: the Chicago Department of Public Health (CDPH) and the University of Chicago Medical Center, regarding Ebola testing in Illinois.

IDPH preliminary test results for the patient at the University of Chicago Medical Center were negative for Ebola, and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has confirmed these results. The patient has been discharged from the University of Chicago Medical Center.

The patient tested was a child who vomited one time while on a flight originating from Liberia and traveling to Chicago O'Hare International Airport. The child was immediately taken to Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago for a full medical evaluation. After consulting with the University of Chicago Medical Center and Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago, public health officials determined it was in the best interest of the patient to be transferred to the University of Chicago's Comer Children's Hospital.

After consultation involving the University of Chicago Medical Center, CDPH, IDPH and CDC, testing was done to rule out Ebola.

IDPH received approval earlier this week from the CDC to perform testing for Ebola. All testing must first be approved by IDPH, and then CDC. A second sample is sent to CDC to confirm state lab results.

The statewide Ebola Task Force, announced Wednesday by Governor Pat Quinn, the Chicago Ebola Resource Network, hospitals and local health departments across Illinois will continue to work together to quickly identify a person who could potentially be at risk of Ebola, and take quick action in order to protect the health and safety of all Illinois residents. The Chicago Ebola Resource Network is a coalition of CDPH and four leading Chicago-area hospitals formed as part of a coordinated effort to prepare for and respond to possible diagnoses of Ebola within Chicago.

For questions, call the Ebola informational hotline at 1-800-889-3931.