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State increases swine flu surveillance
By Star-Bulletin staff
POSTED: 04:38 p.m. HST, Apr 27, 2009
The state is stepping up efforts to monitor sick passengers on domestic flights arriving at Honolulu Airport and is telling doctors to be alert, as health officials around the globe try to contain the spread of swine flu.
Hawaii has had no confirmed cases of swine flu, which has killed more than 140 people in Mexico and sickened dozens in five mainland states.
Gov. Linda Lingle and other top state officials announced efforts to prepare if the virus is found in Hawaii.
Domestic passengers identified by flight attendants or pilots as potentially having flu viruses will undergo a medical evaluation similar to selected passengers who appear sick on international flights, state epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Park said.
The expansion of the so-called “passive surveillance” began Friday ay Honolulu Airport, health officials said at a news conference today.
Also today, state Department of Health officials issued a medical alert to Hawaii physicians urging them to be on watch for swine influenza in patients.
“We are urging doctors to be on alert for any cases of flu-like illness and requesting specimens be collected for additional testing,” said Health Director Dr. Chiyome Fukino.
Physicians are asked to consider swine influenza in patients with fever and a cough or sore throat and either travel to Mexico or the mainland United States, or contact with persons who had fever and respiratory illness and were in Mexico or the mainland United States within the seven days preceding the start of illness, according to the department.
Health officials alerted physicians today, encouraging them to order the testing for influenza from clinical laboratories. All professional laboratories were alerted to forward specimens that tested positive for flu state laboratory for additional testing.
“Our department has been in motion since we were first alerted by CDC last Friday, and we are receiving regular updates from federal officials,” Fukino said.
The confirmed U.S. cases included 28 at a private high school in New York City, 11 in California, six in Texas, two in Kansas and one in Ohio. Only one American case has led to a hospitalization.
---
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The state is stepping up efforts to monitor sick passengers on domestic flights arriving at Honolulu Airport and is telling doctors to be alert, as health officials around the globe try to contain the spread of swine flu.
Hawaii has had no confirmed cases of swine flu, which has killed more than 140 people in Mexico and sickened dozens in five mainland states.
Gov. Linda Lingle and other top state officials announced efforts to prepare if the virus is found in Hawaii.
Domestic passengers identified by flight attendants or pilots as potentially having flu viruses will undergo a medical evaluation similar to selected passengers who appear sick on international flights, state epidemiologist Dr. Sarah Park said.
The expansion of the so-called “passive surveillance” began Friday ay Honolulu Airport, health officials said at a news conference today.
Also today, state Department of Health officials issued a medical alert to Hawaii physicians urging them to be on watch for swine influenza in patients.
“We are urging doctors to be on alert for any cases of flu-like illness and requesting specimens be collected for additional testing,” said Health Director Dr. Chiyome Fukino.
Physicians are asked to consider swine influenza in patients with fever and a cough or sore throat and either travel to Mexico or the mainland United States, or contact with persons who had fever and respiratory illness and were in Mexico or the mainland United States within the seven days preceding the start of illness, according to the department.
Health officials alerted physicians today, encouraging them to order the testing for influenza from clinical laboratories. All professional laboratories were alerted to forward specimens that tested positive for flu state laboratory for additional testing.
“Our department has been in motion since we were first alerted by CDC last Friday, and we are receiving regular updates from federal officials,” Fukino said.
The confirmed U.S. cases included 28 at a private high school in New York City, 11 in California, six in Texas, two in Kansas and one in Ohio. Only one American case has led to a hospitalization.
---
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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