DeKalb County health officials say they're ready to react to coronavirus in event of outbreak

DeKALB – As the World Health Organization on Thursday declared a global emergency as the outbreak of a new virus from China spread from one person to another in the U.S. for the first time, local health officials confirmed no reported or suspected cases of the virus have yet reached DeKalb County.

Dr. Bob Manam, an infectious disease specialist at Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital, said no reported or suspected cases have touched the area, though public health officials confirmed Thursday a man in Hoffman Estates contracted the disease from his wife.

"Preliminary reports that I'm hearing are that this is easily transmissible," Manam said. "Viruses like this have been here before. There are increased efforts and better coordination to slow this down and stop this. The numbers are low at this point."

The latest case — the sixth in the country — is the husband of a Chicago woman who got sick from the virus after she returned from the epicenter of an outbreak in China. There have been previous cases in China and elsewhere of the virus spreading between people in a household or workplace. The other five U.S. cases are travelers who developed the respiratory illness after returning to the U.S. from China. The latest patient had not been in China.

In a statement from the DeKalb County Health Department Thursday, Public Information Officer Melissa Edwards said the health department is monitoring the "rapidly-evolving situation," and taking cues from the Center for Disease Control and the Illinois Department of Public Health.

Edwards said the CDC also recommends preventative steps such as washing your hands often, avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands, avoid close contact with those who are sick, stay at home when you feel ill, cover your mouth when you cough, and clean and disinfect public surfaces regularly.

What is the coronavirus

The strain of coronavirus that's led to 7,800 cases in China and 170 deaths and spread to more than a dozen countries is not as deadly as its coronavirus cousin, SARS (which spread in 2003), but it's infecting more people. Manam said the SARS virus has a 10% mortality rate, while the coronavirus 19, known as the Wuhan virus since its origins are linked to Wuhan, China in December, has a 2 to 3% mortality rate.

The virus can cause fever, coughing, wheezing, and pneumonia. Health officials think it spreads mainly from droplets when an infected person coughs or sneezes, similar to how the flu spreads.

Older people, and those with other health conditions, are believed to be at greater risk for severe illness from the virus.

The other U.S. cases are in Arizona, Southern California, and Washington state, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Though not as deadly, there is still no vaccination to combat coronavirus, and treatment falls into the supportive care category, Manam said.

"It's supplemental oxygen, IV fluids, treating secondary bacterial infections," Manam said. "Basically kind of waiting it out."

Taking precautions

Manam said health officials are taking precautions such as screening travelers at airports and isolating them if they have a cough or fever after traveling.

"Right now we're appreciating the level of isolation and the effort done by the government of China," he said. "They're actually building field hospitals overnight. They've stepped up proactively screening passengers. The gentleman who's now sick in Chicago is in isolation."

He said chances of contracting the virus if you've not traveled or had contact with people who've traveled internationally are low, though you should see a medical professional if you have a lasting cough. The incubation period for the virus is as long as two weeks, he said.

"In the beginning, it would be a mild cold, not even as severe as the flu," Manam said, describing symptoms reported in connection to recorded cases. "But the scary part of this is the respiratory failure and pneumonia."

Hospital staff at Northwestern Medicine Kishwaukee Hospital, 1 Kish Hospital Drive, say they're prepared in the event coronavirus hits the county.

The hospital is also equipped with anterooms – special rooms with private doors into patient rooms for doctors, nurses and visitors to don gloves, masks and gowns before entering a potentially infectious area. Precautionary measures are taken prior to diagnoses to help alleviate any potential spread.

Patients like the man in Chicago are placed in respiratory airborne isolation rooms.

With the flu season at its peak – 10% of people coming into Kishwaukee hospital with respiratory symptoms are reporting influenza-like illnesses, Manam said – visitors are still being restricted to the hospital, which Manam said will help contain the illness.