Global health organizations are racing to stem an Ebola outbreak in central Africa. While the immediate threat is still far away from Chicago, local specialists are working to ensure the city is prepared for all possibilities.

As of May 13, the World Health Organization reported eight confirmed cases related to the MV Hondius cruise ship, along with one inconclusive and two probable cases. Meanwhile, public health officials in Illinois reported a possible hantavirus case in Winnebago County that is unrelated to the cruise ship outbreak.

Gary Slutkin founded Cure Violence Global, formerly known as CeaseFire, an organization dedicated to training trusted community members to be violence interrupters. Interrupters work with those at risk of committing violence while providing alternative options and resources.

Three passengers have died and at least four people are sick in what health officials say is an outbreak of hantavirus, which usually spreads by inhaling contaminated rodent droppings.

At least 34 people in 13 states — including Illinois — have been sickened with salmonella poisoning traced to contact with backyard poultry, federal health officials said. Backyard poultry include birds like chicken, ducks, geese, guinea fowl and turkeys.

The network monitors disease outbreaks across the globe and prepares countries to respond to those outbreaks.

At least 100 people have died from the flu this season in Illinois, with 77 of those deaths occurring this month alone, according to the Illinois Department of Public Health.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Monday it is no longer recommending that all children receive vaccines against: RSV, flu, hepatitis A, hepatitis B, meningococcal disease and rotavirus. Instead, the federal government now only recommends protection against these diseases for certain children at high risk.

Flu activity in suburban Cook County jumped from “low” to “high” during the week ending in Dec. 20, according to health officials. Chicago’s public health department reported “high” levels of emergency department visits and hospitalizations for flu late last week.

The proposal is opposed not only by business groups but also labor organizations, including the Chicago Federation of Labor, which are concerned that the measure would snarl new and expanding businesses in red tape, preventing them from creating new jobs.

Vending machines containing free Narcan will be placed at five CTA stations throughout Chicago as part of a six-month pilot initiative between the CTA and Cook County Health.

Antimicrobial resistance occurs when germs such as bacteria and fungi gain the power to fight off the drugs designed to kill them. The misuse of antibiotics was a big reason for the rise — unfinished or unnecessary prescriptions that didn’t kill the germs made them stronger.

Describing extraordinary turmoil inside the nation’s health agencies, Monarez and former CDC Chief Medical Officer Chief Debra Houry described exchanges in which Kennedy or political advisers rebuffed data supporting the safety and efficacy of vaccines.

The latest COVID-19 vaccines were approved for people who are 65 and older or have certain health conditions. But medical organizations like the American Academy of Pediatrics — and some states — are breaking from the federal guidelines by expanding their recommendations.

The Illinois Department of Public Health this week issued a statement after Kennedy removed all volunteer members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices.

The cases are the first to be diagnosed in Cook County since March 8, 2024, when an outbreak of measles that began in a Pilsen shelter for migrants sickened 67 people.