Health

CHICAGO (CBS) ― It sounds and looks like the normal, seasonal flu, but it has already killed more than 100 people in Mexico, and public health officials say sooner or later, the disease is headed for Chicago.

On Sunday, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security declared the swine flu outbreak a public health emergency. 

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There were no reported cases of swine flu in Illinois as Monday evening.

Earlier in the day, Northwestern Memorial Hospital doctors were waiting for test results to determine if one of their patients may have been the first.

The man, who is in his 30s, came to the hospital on Saturday. He recently returned from Mexico and told doctors he got sick on the plane. The patient's test came back negative.

Seven other Illinois patients have also been tested for swine flu, but their results all came back negative.

Meanwhile, the Chicago Department of Public Health, the Office of Emergency Management and Communications, and the Chicago Public Schools are monitoring the situation.

The state tested seven people for swine flu over the weekend, all were negative.

Starting Monday, doctors at Rush University Medical Center will automatically test anyone who comes in with a fever and respiratory distress for swine flu.

CBS 2's Pamela Jones reports that detecting the swine flu among all the other types of colds and flu will be a difficult task.

"As a parent, you won't know the difference. Your child is still going to be entitled to the regular flu," said Dr. Terry Mason, Commissioner of the Chicago Department of Public Health.

"What we're going to be looking for is an unusual cluster or an unusual number of children, or even adults, that have these flu-like symptoms, so that we can begin to better screen which people need to be further tested."

Dr. Julie Morita of the Department of Public Health said physicians in the general community should be asking patients who come in with flu symptoms if they have traveled to affected areas or know someone who has, adn then consider testing those patients.

The Department of Public Health is now in surveillance mode, linked with hospitals across the city, creating statistics and tracking patient symptoms.

"We're watching the whole city. We've sent out alerts to all the hospitals. We've identified all of the persons that may come into touch with people so that they know to look for these abnormal patterns," Mason said.

The Chicago Public Schools are also watching. Officials are e-mailing principals with details on an internal swine flu protocol they are launching.

The memos list what information principals should give to concerned parents, and setting up an internal hotline. They are also advising schools to call the families of sick students to get specifics on their illness.

"They're going to be asked a few simple questions just to help determine whether any of the symptoms match; what Public Health believes may be associated with the swine virus," said Chicago Public Schools Chief Executive Officer Ron Huberman.

Private and parochial schools are also taking extra precautions.

But even with all the preps, this illness brings some serious challenges.

"This strain of swine flu is a new strain. And not a lot is known about it," said Mason. "Like how ill infected persons become and how easily it may be passed from person to person and so forth."

On the statewide side, the Illinois Department of Health promised to monitor any outbreak and urged precautions against the potentially deadly disease.

"Many people travel from, to and through Illinois and it is imperative to take precautions and protect against illness," said Dr. Damon Arnold, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health.

In a news conference Monday, Arnold added that the state has an ample supply of emergency aid, and there are additional supplies from the federal government that will arrive later here this week. 

"Although there are currently no travel restrictions, this could change," Arnold said. "If you have recently traveled to one of the affected areas, you should pay close attention to your health for seven days." 

The federal public health emergency declaration provides help to federal and state government agencies to protect you. For example, about 12 million doses of the drug Tamiflu are being released from a federal stockpile in case they're needed. 

Meanwhile, new cases of swine flu keep surfacing. Right now there are 40 confirmed cases in the United States.

In Canada, health officials are reporting four confirmed cases in the province of Nova Scotia. So far none of the cases in the U.S. or Canada have been fatal, but that's not the case in Mexico where health officials believe 86 people have died from the illness. A case has officially been confirmed in Spain, and New Zealand, France and Israel have all reported suspected cases.

At airports with a high volume of international travelers, O'Hare International Airport among them, authorities are asking travelers about their health and may send some people for testing.

There's no vaccination to prevent swine flu, but there are two prescription drugs that can help with the symptoms: Tamiflu and Relenza. Both are available in Chicago.

On Saturday, Deerfield-based drug maker Baxter International Inc. said it had asked the World Health Organization for a sample of the flu strain so it could work to develop a vaccine.

Swine Flu Facts:

• The CDC says even though you may have gotten the flu vaccine, you may not be protected against swine flu. However, older people, who may have been exposed to flu viruses many times may have some natural immunity.
• Swine flu is a disease that normally just infects pigs, but there are cases of humans getting the disease, and of humans transferring it to other humans.
• Seasonal flu symptoms include fever, lethargy, lack of appetite and coughing. Reported swine flu symptoms also include runny nose, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea.
• Health officials say it is important to keep in mind that this is a new strain of the virus.

For more information and updates on the swine flu, visit http://www.cdc.gov/swineflu/ or call 1-800-CDC-INFO

CBS 2's Suzanne Le Mignot, Pamela Jones, Joanie Lum, the STNG Wire and the Associated Press contributed to this report.

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

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