INFLUENZA PANDEMIC (H1N1) 2009 (93): USA (ALASKA) SUSPECTED
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A ProMED-mail post
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International Society for Infectious Diseases
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Date: Sat 7 Nov 2009
Soure: Associated Press report [edited]

<http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iGBlyadDJuB6MHAonWo4RFD6KWqAD9BQPLEO0>

Alaskan island village hit by suspected swine flu
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Suspected swine flu [influenza pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus infection] is
sweeping a traditional Eskimo whaling village on a remote Alaskan island
–
prompting an urgent medical mission to deliver help. "Diomede is
probably
the most isolated place in the United States right now," said David
Head, a
doctor involved in the effort. "We thought it would be better to go out
there and just vaccinate people."

So many of the 130 residents of Diomede have been stricken with flu-like
symptoms that the Alaska Army National Guard stepped in with a Black
Hawk
helicopter to transport a medical team from Nome 135 miles away, where
Head
is chief of staff at Norton Sound Health Corp.

Diomede, located less than 3 miles from Russia’s Big Diomede Island in
the
Bering Strait, is all the more isolated because passenger air service
was
halted 4 months ago when the sole helicopter used for that purpose was
sidelined for repairs. "There’s no way people can get out of here," said
73
year old Patrick Omiak Sr, the village tribal council president. "For
emergencies, I’m real glad about the National Guard." A different
helicopter still delivers mail and goods, but for liability reasons
cannot
carry passengers.

He was among the many in the village to get the flu vaccinations that
were
delivered by a doctor and public health nurse who arrived Thursday [5
Nov
2009] from Nome. The medical team also brought enough medicine such as
Tamiflu [oseltamivir] to treat every resident if necessary.

Omiak has not gotten sick but said many in community are fighting
symptoms
including runny noses and bad coughs. "Some kind of a virus is going
around
on this little island," he said. The illness is just the latest hardship
for the residents of the rocky island, which covers only 2 square miles
of
treeless terrain. Most residents, whose homes have no running water, are
Ingalikmiut Eskimos who depend on subsistence foods, hunting bowhead
whale,
walrus, and seal along with fish and crab.

Medics aren’t saying how many in the village have taken ill, but they
note
it’s a significant enough portion of the population to warrant the
emergency response. 3 sick people, including a small child, also have
been
flown out of the village for treatment. At least one person has tested
positive for swine flu [pandemic (H1N1) 2009 virus infection] in a
preliminary analysis.

The National Guard will continue to help with emergencies until the
regular
helicopter service is restored, said Jeremy Zidek, a spokesman for the
Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. Randy
Ruaro,
deputy chief of staff for Governor Sean Parnell, said state police and
the
coast guard are also ready to help until the repairs are completed,
hopefully by December. Meanwhile, he said a plan to use the
single-engine
chopper to transport patients is under discussion. "I think everyone is
working to try and reach the best solution," he said