DPH says it is doing its best to prevent entry of H1N1

The Department of Public Health said it would increase its surveillance to address the problem of H1N1 flu virus, including tighter screening procedures at airports to prevent its entry into the CNMI.

This is in reaction to the large number of patients in Japan who had tested positive for the virus.

The DPH said it is prepared to prevent the entry of patients with the virus.

However, DPH said a thermal scanner would not be part of the health screening procedures. A thermal scanner is a machine being used in other countries to determine the body temperature of departing and arriving passengers.

Pedro T. Untalan, CNMI DPH Deputy Secretary for Hospital Administration, said that since this is also the influenza season, putting up gadgets like a thermal scanners at the airport is not a guarantee.

Untalan said that Japan should have the best way to prevent the exit of the virus.

DPH advises the public to follow basic hygiene practices “because it is the best way to prevent us from getting sick.”

“We’re doing the best we can. The public should be aware of the health update and follow guidelines like staying at home when they feel sick,” he said.

Refusing entry of passengers is not part of the plan because “this is not as virulent but a combination of the influenza season.”

The surveillance will include giving out information flyers to passengers by volunteers from the Emergency Operations Center that had been activated to monitor flu cases in the CNMI since last month.

DPH sentinel sites were also alerted to heighten their surveillance efforts. The sentinel sites include all CHC Clinics, Marianas Medical Center, Medical Associates of the Pacific, Tinian Health Center, and Rota Health Center.

Patients seen at sentinel sites that meet the clinical case definition for influenza-like illness are tested with the rapid flu test. All tests, regardless of the results, are sent to a laboratory in San Antonio, Texas for further testing.

Since Monday, the CNMI has been on alert level Phase 5, as declared by the World Health Organization and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

DPH said there are no confirmed H1N1 cases yet in the CNMI.

In Japan, the government there reported a surge in the number of confirmed H1N1 flu cases as the WHO warned that the disease was likely to continue its rapid spread across the world.

Infections were confirmed in the port city of Kobe and nearby Osaka, which is the country’s second-biggest urban area.

The CNMI draws its biggest number of foreign visitors from Japan.