Despite good intentions, the current passengers screening for H1N1 at points of entry, particularly airports, that the FSM states are doing has become a burden on the public health resources for some of the states, the task force stated.
For example, multiple staff members have been diverted from their usual program duties — tuberculosis, diabetes, maternal and child health, etc. — in order to conduct daily airports screening activities.
As the number of H1N1-affected areas increases, so does the number of passengers undergoing individual screening.
It has also been recognized that passenger screening cannot prevent the introduction of the H1N1 to the FSM, the task force stated. “It has also been demonstrated by the fact that Japan, despite conducting temperature screening on every single arriving passenger, has acquired the greatest number of cases of any Asia-Pacific country. At best it will detect a small number of symptomatic cases, while most cases go undetected (because they are still in the incubation period),” the task force stated.
In the Southeast Asia region, of 1.7 million passengers passing through checkpoints, only three patients with H1N1 have been picked up through passenger screening, the task force added.
Mori endorsed the task force’s recommendation and instructed its members to continue monitoring what is going on in the neighboring islands, especially Guam and Hawaii.
