State steps up vigilance on respiratory illness
| • | Outbreak possibly new flu strain, exotic virus |
| • | What you should know about the deadly illness |
By Dan Nakaso
Advertiser Staff Writer
Hawai'i is especially vulnerable to a mysterious, deadly respiratory illness apparently originating from Asia and Southeast Asia, and federal health officials plan to pass out notification cards to passengers arriving here from the infected countries, officials said yesterday.
People in Hawai'i also are being warned against traveling to countries that have seen cases of the disease, which has killed at least nine people and triggered a worldwide health alert during the weekend.
Someone who flies into the Islands with the respiratory illness could trigger problems for local health officials, who would have to isolate the patient and then track down each of the passengers and crew aboard the flight, said Dr. Paul Effler, chief of the state Health Department's communicable disease division.
"Hawai'i is at the crossroads of the world and we get a lot of travelers," Effler said. "It is important, especially in Hawai'i, that we be vigilant."
The notification cards that have been drafted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention instruct passengers to see their doctors if they become ill within seven days after their trip, Effler said.
"Make sure your doctor knows about your travel exposure so you can be appropriately evaluated," he said.
One complication is that the symptoms of the disease resemble the flu — fever, shortness of breath, cough and difficulty breathing — and there is a flu outbreak in the Islands.
Bruce Anderson, former state health director and now environmental health program director at the University of Hawai'i's John A. Burns School of Medicine, also warned Hawai'i residents about flying to countries that have seen cases.
"I would seriously consider postponing a trip to Indonesia, Philippines, China and other parts of Southeast Asia where they're having active transmission," Anderson said. "Time will tell whether this will develop into a pandemic, a world-wide health problem. With an incubation period of two to seven days, it won't take long to come to that point. It could spread rapidly."
State health officials have been in contact with World Health Organization officials in Geneva, Switzerland, and the CDC and have notified Hawai'i physicians about taking precautions, since the disease apparently is spread through close contact.
"Patients on the other hand, need not panic," Effler said. "This will cause a lot of alarm in the community. And yet we have to keep in mind that there's a lot of things that cause pneumonia and respiratory illnesses that are very common."
Reach Dan Nakaso at dnakaso@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8085.
