Swine flu has not shown up in Rhode Island, but officials are monitoring flu cases and preparing local health-care providers to deal with the illness should it make it to the area.

On Sunday, the federal government declared a public-health emergency as the number of U.S. citizens with confirmed cases of swine flu reached 20. None have been in the New England area. In Mexico, health officials say a strain of the flu has killed up to 81 people and sickened more than 1,000. The flu strain, which cannot be contracted by eating pork, is transmitted the same way as the common flu, said David R. Gifford, director of the state Department of Health.

Gifford said officials have conferred with local hospitals and sent alerts to physicians to flag cases where flu-like symptoms are reported so that the Department of Health can track and evaluate those patients. Gifford said his office is also working with the Department of Environmental Management, the state Department of Education and the Centers for Disease Control to coordinate the state’s response to the illness.

Local hospitals and physicians have been testing local residents for the flu strain, but Gifford said the number of people reporting symptoms has diminished with the season.

“We’re going to be seeing and getting reports of people who have an influenza-like illness,” he said, “but we are seeing a decline in that pattern across the state.”

Journal State House reporter Steve Peoples felt the first symptoms of a cold last week when he returned from a vacation in Mexico, near Guadalajara and the surrounding areas. He didn’t know about the outbreak until he returned to Rhode Island last week, and got tested only to ease his mother’s concerns.

“I’ve only had flu once in my life,” Peoples said. “I couldn’t move. I don’t even think I have a fever. It’s probably just the climate change. It feels like a normal cold.”

After a test Saturday at The Miriam Hospital, he said he was given a prescription for Tamiflu, an antiviral drug used to shorten the duration of the virus that causes the flu.

“They were able to test it immediately,” he said. “I waited about 45 minutes and they said I tested negative … He said he couldn’t be 100-percent sure I didn’t have it though, because they don’t test for that particular flu.”

Peoples said he was contacted Sunday by an official from the state Department of Health, who wanted him to have a different test Sunday night. He was told it was unlikely that he had the strain, but that he should avoid contact with other people until the results are in.

“It’s nice to know that they’re taking my case seriously,” he said.

Travelers are not being screened at T.F. Green Airport, Gifford said. Instead, officials suggest that recent travelers experiencing symptoms — who have not been to Mexico or any of the affected areas — should take the normal precautions to keep from spreading any illness. Those who believe they may have been exposed should contact a local hospital or physician for testing.

tbuford@projo.com