Journalist Returning From Liberia Being Monitored in Chicago

A freelance journalist reporting in Liberia returned to Chicago nine days ago, but he says it wasn’t until he did a radio interview Wednesday that he was contacted by Chicago health officials about his travels.

“Two hours later I get a phone call from the Chicago Department of Public Health saying, ‘Hey we would like to take your temperature,’” said Marcus Dipaola.

Dipaola said he was not exposed to the virus during his trip, and continues to take his temperature twice a day. He said his temperature was also taken twice at the airport in Liberia, and twice in Morocco. On Oct. 19, he flew to New York, where his temperature was taken again before he returned to Chicago.

But Dipaola said he’s concerned with how health officials handled his return to the U.S.

“[New York Health authorities] said the Chicago Department of Public Health would be in touch within the next 24 hours, that didn’t happen,” he said. “If I were a doctor or a nurse and they were contacting me nine days late, that would be completely unacceptable and that would be a danger to public safety.”

The CDPH, noting that Ebola monitoring protocols were put in place after Dipaola’s return, said in a statement they were “not notified of his arrival” and the radio report was “the first we had heard” of him.

“We immediately contacted the individual and visited him at home the same day to conduct a screening. The individual remains asymptomatic and has agreed to the active monitoring program for the remainder of the 21 day period,” the CDPH said in a statement. “We remind residents that Ebola does not spread easily from person to person and a person with Ebola cannot transmit the disease unless they are showing symptoms.”

Under CDC protocols put in place Monday, any traveler that is asymptomatic upon returning to the U.S. from a nation impacted by Ebola must be monitored for 21 days by local health agencies.

“When a Chicago resident enters the United States through another airport, that airport's jurisdiction will contact CDPH and inform us of the traveler’s return so our team can conduct the necessary active monitoring for the 21 day period,” according to the CDPH.

Dipaola said two nurses arrived at his home Wednesday and will return periodically over the next several days.

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