Two people who arrived at O'Hare International Airport on Tuesday from Liberia were under observation at Chicago hospitals as part of the city's infectious disease protocols after they experienced nausea and other illnesses during their flights, city officials said.
Officials said they decided against Ebola testing for the two, who were traveling separately, after medical evaluations.
The announcement follows confirmation from city officials that four Chicago hospitals - Rush University Medical Center, University of Chicago Medical Center, Northwestern Memorial Hospital and Lurie Children's Hospital - have agreed to take Ebola patients from other hospitals and health care providers, should any cases appear in Chicago.
One of the passengers is a child who reportedly vomited once during the flight. Upon landing, the child was screened by federal authorities and was found to have no other symptoms and no known risk of exposure. The child was being transported to the U. of C. Medical Center for ongoing observation in isolation and, per city protocols, his family was under quarantine until that evaluation was completed.
The other passenger, an adult traveling alone from Liberia, reported nausea and diarrhea. The passenger reported having been diagnosed with typhoid fever in August but had a normal temperature and reported no known risk of exposure to Ebola during a screening. That person was taken to Rush for medical evaluation.