Ebola hotline being launched by Illinois health officials

Illinois health officials plan to launch a hotline to answer questions about Ebola from the general public.

The director of the Illinois Department of Public Health announced the plan Wednesday. Dr. LaMar Hasbrouck said the hotline will be operating by later this week.

Hasbrouck said he wants to reassure Illinois residents after Wednesday’s news that a second Dallas hospital employee has tested positive for the dealy virus

Hasbrouck said the state health department is working closely with hospitals and local health departments ìto provide guidance to quickly identify any potential cases of Ebola and contain any possible spread.

The second Dallas hospital worker testing positive for the disease provided care for Thomas Eric Duncan, the first Ebola patient diagnosed in the U.S. It’s not clear how the second worker contracted the virus.