Health

CHICAGO (CBS) ― Illinois hospitals are taking precautions against swine flu to prevent any local outbreaks. CBS 2's Mike Puccinelli reports that some people who are sick with flu-like symptoms are heading to their doctors to get checked out.

Dr. Anan Lal talks with a patient in Gottlieb Hospital's Oak Park office who came in with flu-like symptoms. The patient didn't want his face shown on camera.

"Like everyone else, I'm concerned," he said. "I wouldn't like to be the first case in Illinois with the swine flu. I want to make sure I'm not."

Dr. Lal is so concerned about the threat posed by the deadly virus that he now wears a mask while examining all patients with persistent coughs.

When asked if he expects to see some cases, Dr. Lal said, "I hope not, but I'm sure I'm going to see the patients with the symptoms but whether they will turn out to be swine flu or not, I don't know."

On the campus of Little Village Lawndale High School, Dr. Abdul Bhurgri runs the Alivio Medical Center. Monday, he briefed staffers about new intake procedures that are being put in place because of the swine flu outbreak.

"If a kid walks in, doesn't have an appointment, screen for the symptoms," Dr. Bhurgri said.

If a patient does present symptoms, the medical center has procedures in place.

"We have an isolation room we put them in, after the mask and everything, we'll take them to isolation," said medical assistant Annie Smith.

Dr. Bhurgri says it's important to take no chances when dealing with a flu outbreak that could potentially become a pandemic by spreading across the globe.

"One of the outbreaks was the Spanish flu outbreak, and it killed about 100 million people and that was in the early 1900s," Dr. Bhurgri said. "At that time, the travel, you can imagine, was not as fast as now."

Dr. Bhurgri says he's not trying to be alarmist, but he just wants to make sure that Chicagoans remain vigilant.

CBS 2's Pamela Jones reports that doctor's offices around Chicago say they've joined the watch for swine flu.

At a lot of clinics, patients coming in with a fever, cough and body aches get separated from everyone else to make sure whatever they've got doesn't spread.

Katie Hutton feels like she has the flu so she headed for the doctor's office.

"I have a sore throat and I cough," said Katie Hutton. "When I lay down, my cough is 10 times worse."

She'd heard about the deadly swine flu and wanted to be sure she didn't have it. So a nurse swabbed her nose for a test that screens for influenza "A", she same category of flu as the swine flu.

"If we identify influenza 'A' that doesn't make a diagnosis, but it certainly increases the chance that somebody's going to have the swine flu," said Dr. Robert Noven of Michigan Avenue Immediate Care.

That chance has Michigan Avenue Immediate Care taking no chances. Just inside the door, they offer masks for patients and staff.

"The minute somebody walks in if they had any symptoms that suggest an upper respiratory infection, we're immediately masking them, and putting them in a room to separate them from the rest of the people in the waiting area," Dr. Noven said.

He says that's because the illness spreads just like the flu we're all used to.

You could pick it up while touching the handrail when you catch the train, touching the handle on a revolving door and anything a lot of people touch could harbor the virus.

"If you are in a public area and you are touching rails, you are touching the stand on the el, don't touch your face," Dr. Noven said.

Touching your face, nose or mouth might mean you catch the flu, and it's why doctors are pushing proper hand washing and hand sanitizer.

For one mom catching the train, it means lots of sanitizing wipes to protect her 5-year-old son Matthew.

"I wipe everything that he touches and I wipe his hands," said Didi Pacheco. "I'm always telling him, 'please, wipe your hands.'"

Doctors say they're going through a lot of hand sanitizer, which is a positive thing. But a lot of people don't know that for it to work, you have to let the stuff dry without wiping your hands. The germs are killed during drying.

And make sure you buy wipes that say they're effective for killing germs.

Katie Hutton tested negative for influenza "A" and "B". That test showed results in 15 minutes. But if it had been positive for influenza "A", the doctor would have taken a culture and sent it to the health department for a definitive answer about the swine flu, and then they would start drugs to treat the symptoms immediately.

Other Chicago area hospitals are also taking precautions.

Security guards at entrances to the University of Chicago Medical Center are requiring people entering to use dispensers of liquid hand disinfectant.

Starting Monday, all patients seeking treatment for a fever, runny nose and coughs at Rush University Medical Center will be tested for flu with nasal swabs.

Any confirmed flu cases from the Chicago hospital will be sent to state health officials, where they'll be tested to see if they match the swine flu strain involved in the outbreak.

Rush's Dr. Jamil Bayram says there's been no surge in patients with flu symptoms so far.

Northwestern Memorial Hospital's Dr. John Flaherty advises against going to emergency rooms for mild respiratory symptoms.

CBS 2's Pamela Jones, Mike Puccinelli and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

(© MMX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)

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