Although there is still no confirmed H1N1 cases in the CNMI, most areas in the Pacific region that have access to polymerase chain reaction testing have positive samples, he said.
Polymerase chain reaction, or PCR, testing is used to identify the H1N1 strain.
Brostrom said there are now confirmed cases in Palau, Guam, New Caledonia, Fiji, French Polynesia and other islands in the Pacific.
“As of today, we should assume that influenza-like-illness in the CNMI is probably H1N1,” he said.
There were no suspected cases in the CNMI and Public Health couldn’t ship samples until yesterday.
“We won’t know until the following week,” Brostrom said.
But he said there is no need to wait for confirmation by PCR “to manage these cases properly.”
These cases, he added, do not constitute a public health emergency and are being managed by community physicians across the world.
“It’s new, but it’s just the flu,” he said.
Prevention, he said, is the key focus in dealing with influenza-like-illness as 90 percent of those infected do not need any medical care.
“Keep a high index of suspicion for all patients (not just ER and primary care!),” he said.
The public, he added, should learn about this illness and the latest treatment.
Brostrom said only five per 100 need Tamiflu “so save it for documented respiratory distress in hospitalized cases.”
Public Health should use Tamiflu for “high-risk contacts only (infants, chronically ill, dialysis household contacts),” he added.
Brostrom said those with influenza-like-illness should be separated from the rest of the hospital patients.
“We are re-entering flu season, and we should expect new cases. I would guess we might have one or two that need intensive care for support, [but] it is highly unlikely that we would experience a death in our community,” he added.
