Senators urge more aggressive swine flu screening

WASHINGTON -- Senior senators criticized the Homeland Security Department on Wednesday, saying it was not doing enough to prevent people infected with swine flu from entering the United States.

Lawmakers at a Capitol Hill hearing urged Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano to take stronger steps than those now being used by Customs and Border Protection, who look for people who appear sick as they enter the USA.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, questioned the effectiveness of the observation. She suggested the department join six countries, including Japan and Thailand, that recently started using thermal cameras at entry points to spot people with a fever.

"It's very difficult for officials at the border, who are not medically trained, to do this kind of selection process or surveillance," Collins said. "Other countries are being far more aggressive in their screening."

Sen. Joseph Lieberman, I-Conn., told Napolitano that "there will be growing pressure to really close the ports of entry" if the department does not step up screening at border crossings, airports and seaports. Lieberman is chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, which held Wednesday's hearing.

Napolitano vowed to consider other measures and defended the department, saying it followed the expertise of public-health experts who urged against stepped-up screening at ports of entry.

"What the scientists are telling me is that beyond symbolism, we really don't get an advantage on the spread of the disease," Napolitano said. She said thermal scanners "are not always accurate" and miss people who are infected with swine flu but show no symptoms.

Collins said scanners "are going to catch some of the (flu) cases."

Speaking to reporters later, Napolitano said: "This virus is already in the United States. Any containment theory that you're going to keep it out of the United States is moot at this point."

Additional scrutiny of people entering the U.S. could slow the flow of travelers and goods, she said. "There's huge economic disruption and jobs disruption any time you add a procedure at ports," Napolitano said.