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‘CNMI is still bird flu-free’
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Posted on Jan 06 2006
Just before giving up the reins of the Department of Lands and Natural Resources, Secretary Richard Seman assured the public that no suspected case of the bird flu virus has surfaced in the CNMI.
“There’s nothing,” said Seman, whose last official day as head of the DLNR was yesterday.
Seman said, though, that his office does not exclude the possibility of the islands being infected with the avian flu in the future.
He said DLNR and its attached agencies like the Division of Agriculture is closely working with the Department of Public Health and its acting secretary, James U. Hofschneider, about the health risks related to the bird flu virus.
DPH earlier said there has been no suspected case of bird flu in the CNMI.
The World Health Organization reported that, since January 2004, a total of 142 human cases of H5N1 infection have been reported in Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Indonesia, and China. The cases in Turkey bring the number of affected countries to six, from which 144 cases have now been reported.
Seman said the DLNR is in constant communication with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and other disease control offices in Asia.
Public Health medical director Richard Brostrom also said his office has been coordinating with DLNR, which assured him that there is no avian influenza cases among CNMI poultry flocks.
Brostrom said the DPH is embarking on a public education campaign to help answer questions about regular flu and a potential problem with bird flu.
Bird flu has the same symptoms associated with regular flu in the first few days, but people infected with the avian influenza virus usually recover right away.
“Bird flu causes a more severe pneumonia that sometimes doesn’t get better even though good medicine is given,” he said.
The public health medical director urged the public to maintain good hygiene and wash their hands often. Brostrom said children and adults who have flu should not go to school or work to avoid the spread of the disease and other symptoms such as cold. (Marconi Calindas)
