Congresswoman Madeleine Z. Bordallo has invited Commander William L. Jackson, the newly appointed Quarantine Medical Officer for Guam, Hawaii, Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, Palau and American Samoa, based in Hawaii, to review the island’s quarantine operations, facilities, and capabilities with respect to prevention of the avian flu.

 

“Cdr. Jackson’s visit will greatly aid in improving our island’s current quarantine system.  As the major port of entry for the United States in the Western Pacific region, it is important that our island is fully prepared and that federal resources are made available to us” Bordallo stated.  “I understand that Cdr. Jackson is looking forward to working with Guam’s health officials to improve preparedness against influenza and other communicable diseases.  He recently met with Dr. Thomas Shieh, President of the Guam Memorial Hospital Medical Staff to discuss Guam’s health system capabilities and areas where federal assistance would be helpful.”

 

The Honolulu Quarantine Station has jurisdiction over Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, American Samoa, and the Freely Associated States, in addition to Hawaii.  Upon his arrival, Commander Jackson will work closely with the Guam Memorial Hospital Medical staff to devise an island preparedness plan.  To date, there have been 122 total cases of the H5N1 strain of the bird flu reported in Indonesia, Vietnam, Thailand, and Cambodia.    

 

“As a community, we need to be as aggressive as we can in preparing for the avian flu.  I am confident that Commander Jackson’s visit will lead to improved coordination with the Centers for Disease Control so that Guam can be as prepared as possible,”  Bordallo concluded. 

 

Congresswoman Bordallo has worked to raise awareness for avian flu preparedness.  In her keynote address to the 2^nd Annual Micronesia Medical Symposium on October 14^th 2005, Congresswoman Bordallo called for regional and local leaders and healthcare professionals to take aggressive measures to prepare for a possible onset of avian flu.  This came at the heels of international and domestic efforts to prevent further spread of the disease.  Bordallo emphasized that the keys to preparedness are the open flow of information from government to government, extending to the Pacific region, with the review of each island government’s protocols for disease control and prevention.     

                                     

“Last month, I addressed leaders of our regional governments and medical communities and I stressed the importance of working together to prepare for and respond to potential outbreaks in a coordinated manner.  Dr. Jackson will help us to assess where we are and what we need to do to be prepared for an outbreak of avian flu in our region.”

 

To follow up on the Congresswoman’s invitation to Dr. Jackson, Dr. Shieh will be meeting with Dr. Jackson in Hawaii after Shieh’s AMA meetings on the mainland.   Dr. Shieh is expected to discuss issues regarding the Guam Memorial Hospital’s medical capabilities to deal with the avian flu and federal resources that will be needed to supplement Guam’s resources.    

 

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