Sometimes smaller is better. As a function of its small size and the close bonds among all players in its public health system, Hawai'i holds an advantage in preparing for potential disasters such as an avian flu pandemic.

It's a relief to see that the state and its healthcare partners are using that advantage, by moving now to start surveillance for the deadly virus. Hawai'i is in the vanguard among states with a new program of monitoring at airports for signs of the bird flu or other disease threats.

This effort does not even require a costly new program but only the retuning of an existing airport clinic, operated by The Queen's Medical Center. Queen's has signed an agreement to add the flu surveillance as a voluntary add-on service.

Staff from the airlines and the federal quarantine station already cooperate when passenger ailments come to light.

All the airport clinic needs to add is to ask any patient with flu symptoms for permission to take samples to be investigated for evidence of bird flu.

It's frustrating that the same logical sense of urgency isn't shared universally. For example: Someone needs to wake up U.S. Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., in whose Judiciary Committee an important bill has stalled.

The measure, aimed at toughening penalties for importing and transporting fighting birds, has not been brought to a vote. Sensenbrenner has dismissed the importance of such a bill in the nation's avian flu campaign, and he's flat wrong.

It's safer to patch any hole in our national public health shield, even one that's seemingly small. All efforts will combine to improve our vigilance against this threat, and all deserve serious consideration.