OHSU cardiology team will make its first visit since the COVID shutdown

Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — The Oregon Health and Science University (OHSU) team of cardiologists were scheduled to arrive on island last night and will be seeking children with heart problems during their one-week visit, with appointments already set by the Health Department.

DoH Rheumatic Heart Disease Program director, Ipuniuesea Eliapo-Unutoa said during a DoH news conference on Wednesday that the OHSU cardiologists have conducted visits to American Samoa for more than 10 years and their last visit was in 2019 before the local measles outbreak, followed by the territory’s border closure due to COVID-19 restrictions in 2020.

“So its almost 3 years since the children have seen a cardiologist from this team, who will visit children who have already been diagnose with rheumatic heart disease, and also children who were born with heart defects,” said Eliapo-Unutoa told reporters.

She explained that families of individual children whose names are on the DoH list have been contacted and given the date and time for the appointment to see the visit Oregon team at the DoH Physical Clinic at it’s compound in Fagaalu.

During the clinic visit, the “cardiologist will tell you if you will continue to get your penicillin injection, don’t need to get the injection, or if you need surgery if your heart valves are getting worse. Those are the reasons we need these specialists.”

She noted that the list is growing for children to see the pediatric cardiologist and if parents don’t get a call for an appointment this time around, the OHSU team will return in January next.

Responding to a media question, Eliapo-Unutoa revealed that DoH is now training personnel to be certified to conduct the screening, “so we can do the screening, when the off island teams are not here, so our own people can do the screening.”

She said DoH is looking at November to offer the screening at DoH clinics and at schools, but the official announcement will be issued once this service is available.

Meanwhile, she said the rheumatic heart disease (RHD) relief team from Birmingham Young University will be back in May next year, and they will concentrate on screening in schools and also some in the community.

The team conducted clinics when they were on island from August to early this month. (See yesterday’s Samoa News edition for details.)

OTHER ISSUES

DoH Clinical Service director, Dr. Elizabeth Lauvao — who led the news conference — shared brief information on COVID-19, reconfirming that starting this week Monday, all travelers entering the territory are no longer required to be tested upon arrival.

What is required before entry into American Samoa and remains the same, is that travelers must be fully vaccinated and are also required to register on the ASG online travel portal, TALOFAPass, which screens entry into the territory.

She also said that DoH is still conducting COVID testing at its Tafuna laboratory, but ”we are only testing people that are symptomatic. So, before you go to the lab to get tested, you have to be seen at the primary clinic to assess you, then the COVID test.”

Dr. Lauvao also spoke about other DoH services available at its clinics including the “back to school” immunization campaign. See DoH Facebook page for the latest updates on the campaign including after-hours clinics.

Samoa News notes that the governor is expected to issue this week the new COVID-19 Declaration, in which more local restrictions are expected to be eased.