Section 690.469  Influenza A, Novel or Variant Virus (Reportable by telephone immediately, within three hours upon initial clinical suspicion or laboratory test order)

a)         Control of Case

1)         The Department will make recommendations as information becomes known about the transmissibility of the novel or variant influenza virus.

2)         If present rules are not adequate, alternative requirements may be issued.  See Section 690.100(d).

b)         Control of Contacts

1)         The Department will make recommendations for control of contacts based on transmissibility and severity of the illness caused by the novel or variant influenza A strain.

2)         Health care workers caring for patients with a novel or variant strain of influenza A shall be monitored for illness by the health care facility, in collaboration with the local health authority.

3)         Emergency medical responders and persons on farms, zoos, county fairs, households or other locations where novel or variant influenza A viruses have been identified in animals, such as swine or poultry, will be monitored for illness during their exposure and for an appropriate time after exposure.

c)         Laboratory Testing and Reporting

1)         Virus isolation studies on respiratory specimens from individuals with suspect variant influenza infection should not be performed by clinical laboratories unless approved by the Department.

2)         Laboratories shall forward clinical materials to the Department's laboratory.

(Source:  Amended at 48 Ill. Reg. 4098, effective February 27, 2024)