He said his department will be closely working with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on terrorism, public health preparedness and emergency response.
During Friday’s press conference, he presented Janice McMichael, the public health emergency preparedness program project officer serving the Pacific islands; and Barbara Cooper, public health advisor of the Coordinating Office for Terrorism Preparedness and Emergency Response, CDC’s Division of Strategic National Stockpile.
Villagomez said the two officials were also in the CNMI 18 months ago.
They will continue to assess what programs should be continued and recommend any improvements to current services and programs, he added.
Flu watch campaign
Villagomez also announced the department’s media campaign on flu prevention and vaccination.
On Friday, Public health officials unveiled one of the five flu watch campaign billboards installed across from the Commonwealth Health Center.
Cooper, McMichael, and the members of the Matua Riders Group attended the short ceremony.
Roxanne Diaz, Public Health program analyst, said the local motorcycle group will collaborate with the department in the campaign.
“This is their creative way of reaching out the community,” Diaz said.
The rider’s group will visit schools and villages to get the attention of the parents, school administrators and school children.
Vince Lizama, the group’s vice president, said their collaboration with Public Health is part of their community program.
“We want to reinforce the message of the department in the flu watch campaign,” he said.
The newly organized Matua Riders Group has 30 members and close to 15 associate non-rider members.
Part of their campaign, Diaz said is the distribution of bumper stickers, posters and running a 30-second flu watch slot on television.
The H1N1 vaccination campaign is for pregnant women, school children, young adults, caregivers, parents and household contacts of infants six months old, she added.
The H1N1 flu preparedness Web site was launched last month and received 100 hits in the first week, she said.
The Web site is http://h1n1dph.gov.mp
Vaccination
Villagomez said they already administered 22,000 shots of H1N1 flu vaccine in the CNMI since last year: 19,565 on Saipan, 1,075 on Rota and 1,360 on Tinian.
On Jan. 30, Villagomez said, they administered 57 vaccine shots during the Head Start symposium, 436 during the Cervical Cancer Fair and 417 during the Nutrition Assistance Program drive on Feb. 1 and 2.
Villagomez said the mass vaccination drive will be conducted in private schools from Feb. 16 to 17.
These schools include Mount Carmel School, Saipan Community School, Calvary Christian Academy, Marianas Baptist Academy, Saipan International School, and Ladera International School of Saipan.
Villagomez said people who want to avail of the vaccine are not required to have a blue card from CHC.
He said public secondary schools are also scheduled for vaccination: Chacha Oceanview and Kagman High on Feb. 19; Marianas High School on Feb. 23; Saipan Southern High on Feb. 24; and Hopwood Junior High School on Feb. 25.
