H1N1 puts HPV vaccine on the shelf

By Kate Lunau - Monday, October 26, 2009 at 11:18 AM - 1 Comment

As New Brunswick prepares to inoculate residents against swine flu, another public health program is falling by the wayside. Hundreds of health care workers, from nursing students to retirees, are being recruited to administer the H1N1 vaccine—meaning the HPV vaccine must be put on hold. This year, about 2,500 Grade 7 girls will not receive a shot to protect them from the human papilloma virus, which can cause genital warts and cervical cancer.

According to the “Canadian Cancer Statistics” report, about seven Canadians per 100,000 were diagnosed with cervical cancer in 2005, the most recent year for which data is available. Thanks to the HPV vaccine, “it’s the first genital cancer that’s preventable,” says Dr. André Lalonde, executive vice-president of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada. As such, he notes, “it’s a major breakthrough in health.” Continue…

They're drinking what?

By Alex Shimo - Monday, October 26, 2009 at 11:17 AM - 45 Comments

The best way to drink hand sanitizer is straight, like whisky, and down it “like a shot,” explains Tyler, a Grade 10 student who lives in Toronto. Undiluted, the alcohol-based liquid tastes a little like “vodka and bug spray,” he adds.

The alarming comment from the 15-year-old mirrors a growing number of news reports about teenagers and children drinking the antiseptic hand-cleaning products. Most hand sanitizers have an alcoholic content between 60 and 90 per cent, which means that even small amounts have led to a number of cases of alcohol poisoning in younger children. That percentage is much higher than even that of most hard liquors, giving it an appeal to kids looking for a quick high, explains Jane Wells, a drama teacher at Toronto’s after-school Care Program. Wells has come to know a lot about this subject: she discovered that a group of eight- and nine-year-olds drank hand sanitizer at school just before she took them on a school walk. When she noticed them acting strange and giggling, they first told her they had been drinking alcohol, but after some probing, confessed it was really the hand cleaner. They told her they’d been enticed by the promise of alcohol “right on the bottle,” she says. Continue…

Playing politics

By Aaron Wherry - Friday, October 9, 2009 at 11:45 AM - 42 Comments

Amid reports that Canada’s H1N1 plan is flawed, here is the first exchange in Question Period yesterday, Ralph Goodale leading the Liberal effort, the Prime Minister responding for the government.

Hon. Ralph Goodale (Wascana, Lib.): Mr. Speaker, the United States, Australia and China are already vaccinating their populations against the H1N1 flu. Europe and Japan will begin within the next few days. Canada will not begin for another month. The health minister says that this is all according to her plan. Could the government explain the logic of any plan that deliberately puts Canada behind the rest of the world in protecting citizens against H1N1? What is the logic of that?

Right Hon. Stephen Harper (Prime Minister, CPC): Mr. Speaker, once again, the government bases its flu planning on the best advice of medical experts, including the chief medical officer. The immediate priority is seasonal flu vaccination. Canada will ensure that there is enough vaccine for every member of our population. That vaccine will be widely available the first week of November, as the government has said all along.

Continue…

Feeding Jean-Pierre Blackburn

By Aaron Wherry - Friday, September 25, 2009 at 10:20 AM - 16 Comments

The Toronto Star helpfully explains how to stage a government photo op meant to ease concerns about a potential health emergency.

After a herd of Alberta pigs was infected with the H1N1 flu virus last April, countries began closing their borders to Canadian hogs, threatening $3 billion in exports and 40,000 jobs. Ottawa’s response was to hold a barbecue on Parliament Hill with pulled pork on the menu, and hog farmers, foreign diplomats and lots of television cameras in the crowd.

But it was carefully crafted to ensure two Conservative ministers, Agriculture Minister Gerry Ritz and Minister of State for Agriculture Jean-Pierre Blackburn, were the stars of the show, according to 841 pages of internal emails obtained by the Toronto Star…

“I believe it’s important to have a visual where the ministers `eat’ pork. Not only flipping it on a barbeque,” suggested Sylvain Frenette, Blackburn’s political director. “So we have to ensure that what they will eat is visually appealing … . It has to be easy to eat. Small pieces already cut up and ready to eat. So that he’s not fighting with a piece of meat. So that he doesn’t get dirty, etc.”

Ritz’s staff had their own ideas about the best light in which to present him. ”Please ensure that the minister has a spot in the serving line (complete with apron would be best) – this is the money shot,” Murdoch wrote.

The Commons: Shameful, callous, disrespectful, unacceptable, insensitive

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 6:29 PM - 74 Comments

The Scene. Nothing quite calms the barroom atmosphere of an afternoon in the House of Commons quite like death. Or, in this case, the theoretical possibility of same.

So that silence descended today once it became clear that Todd Russell (left) was opening Question Period with something of such seriousness.

“Mr. Speaker, imagine that you, your child or your grandmother has H1N1. Imagine people who live in fear at the spread of this disease. Imagine being a community leader or health worker pleading for help, trying to prepare and too often doing so on your own,” he began, speaking evenly and deliberately. “What message does it send a person, their people and their community when the government will not send medicine but will send body bags? Will the Minister of Health own up to her responsibilities and apologize for this shameful incompetence?”

There were some grumbles and groans from the government side.

The Health Minister was otherwise engaged, so it was John Baird sent up to offer a response.

“Mr. Speaker, I totally agree with the member for Labrador,” he said. “What happened in recent events is unacceptable. It is incredibly insensitive and offensive. The Minister of Health has ordered her department to conduct a thorough and immediate inquiry into this matter and the results of that inquiry will be made public.” Continue…

About those body bags (II)

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 3:41 PM - 54 Comments

An official statement from Health Canada.

Health Canada apologizes for the error that was made in the number of body bags that were ordered for the Wasagamack First Nations. We regret the alarm that this incident has caused.

The Department is working with First Nations in the development of Pandemic Plans for their communities. In addition, our Nursing Stations are actively involved to ensure adequate provisions are in place.

The Department would like to provide some context to the concerns raised about pandemic preparedness in First Nations communities.

Health Canada delivers services in remote areas through Nursing Stations. We routinely stock commonly required medical materials such as personal protective equipment, pharmaceuticals and other medical supplies such as body bags.

These stocks are replenished on an as-needed basis. A location’s stock size is determined by several factors, including total population, utilization and geographic location. Another important consideration is that some of these communities are unreachable by road, water or air during the winter months. In other words, we wouldn’t be able to bring these supplies into some of these communities, should they become necessary.

It is unfortunate that this has been linked exclusively with H1N1. Whether it’s a nursing station in a remote First Nations community in northern Manitoba, or a hospital in downtown Vancouver, supplies are constantly being re-stocked to prepare for unknown and unforeseen events, whether it be a plane crash, environmental disaster or pandemic.

Given the unknown severity of a potential outbreak, and the existing vulnerabilities of northern isolated communities, Manitoba region recently completed a re-stock of supplies for the upcoming three to four month period in a number of First Nations Communities in which we provide primary health care services. The number of bags sent to this community clearly does not correlate with the current scientific evidence that PHAC has provided with respect to the severity of illness that we expect to see in the fall.

Again, Health Canada apologises. We all regret the alarm caused by the stocking of this particular item. It is important to remember that our nurses are focussed entirely on providing primary health care services under often-trying circumstances. We value the excellent work they perform.

About those body bags

By Aaron Wherry - Thursday, September 17, 2009 at 12:14 PM - 20 Comments

A statement from the Health Minister.

“During a conference call with First Nations organizations yesterday morning it was brought to my attention that there were reports out of Manitoba that Health Canada had delivered body bags to a remote First Nation Community in that province as part of H1N1 preparations for the Fall.”

“What happened is unacceptable. It was insensitive and offensive. As Minister of Health and as an aboriginal I am offended. To all who took offence at what occurred, I want to say that I share your concern and I pledge to get to the bottom of it. I have ordered my Deputy Minister to conduct a thorough and immediate inquiry into the situation. I will make the result of the inquiry public.  I will continue to work with First Nations communities and the provinces and territories to ensure all Canadians are informed and protected against H1N1.

“I was born and raised in remote communities and I understand the challenges better then anyone – that’s why I have met frequently with First Nations organizations. Anyone suggesting that our Government’s solution to H1N1 is body bags is sensationalizing this situation.

“There is strong co-operation taking place with First Nations people at the community, regional and national levels, as well as with provinces and territories, to ensure that all Canadians are informed of and protected from the H1N1flu virus.  As Health Minister I am fully committed to these efforts.”

The Commons: And that's when the nuns started yelling

By Aaron Wherry - Wednesday, September 16, 2009 at 7:53 PM - 47 Comments

The Scene. Dominic LeBlanc was speaking in his grand stage voice, the sound of his second question filling the chamber, when the shouting started.

In the first row of the north visitors’ gallery, three nuns, or at least three women clad in the outfits of nuns, were chanting something unsavoury about the seal hunt, each holding a banner that read “The Seal Slaughter is a Bad Habit.” Get it?

The Speaker called for a pause in proceedings and all turned to gape at the spectacle. While security officers struggled to contain the invaders, Conservative Steve Blaney stood and held aloft a binder, apparently wrapped in seal skin. MPs stood to applaud their colleague’s brave choice of office supplies. Liberal Gerry Byrne crossed the floor to happily shake Blaney’s hand.

Security eventually gained control of the situation—the nuns handcuffed and carried away, each still yelping their protests as they were shown the door—and the Speaker called on LeBlanc to continue his casting of aspersions on government efforts to ease trade between Canada and the United States.

It has only been three days and already it has been a fine first week back for our 40th Parliament. Continue…

Particularly edifying exchange of the day

By Aaron Wherry - Tuesday, September 15, 2009 at 5:58 PM - 16 Comments

From Question Period this afternoon.

Judy Wasylycia-Leis (Winnipeg North, NDP): “Does the minister realize H1N1 is not a postal code?”

Leona Aglukkaq (Minister of Health, CPC): “Mr. Speaker, the only party that thinks H1N1 is a postal code is that party.”

“Can we beat the pandemic?”

By macleans.ca - Monday, August 31, 2009 at 11:16 AM - 3 Comments

The Canadian Medical Association Journal says that Canada needs to modify its swine flu pandemic plan so that H1N1 vaccines can be fast-tracked to high risk populations such as pregnant women, youth and sufferers of chronic diseases. In an editorial released today called “The H1N1 vaccine race: Can we beat the pandemic?”, CMAJ warns that Health Canada’s regulatory process for licensing the shots will slow down their availability. Part of the hold up is due to the fact that the vaccine is being rolled out with an adjuvant, a substance that increases its immunological response. The adjuvant needs to be more thoroughly reviewed than if the vaccine were alone. So CMAJ suggests that the vaccine and adjuvant should be reviewed as a package or for Health Canada to speed up review of the vaccine only so that it can be delivered to high risk groups. The editorial acknowledges that the vaccine may not be as effective without the adjuvant, but says it’s important to immunize the most vulnerable individuals as soon as possible. CMAJ says that the vaccine should be available by early October, and the vaccine-adjuvant combo by mid-November. “Time is running out,” CMAJ says.

Canadian Medical Association Journal

Enormous H1N1 contamination

By macleans.ca - Tuesday, August 25, 2009 at 2:51 PM - 3 Comments

Half of Americans could fall ill, and 90,000 may die, from swine flu this season, according to the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology. Their new report says between 60 and 120 million people could get sick, that 1.8 million may need to be hospitalized, and that the annual death toll associated with the flu could double. The White House is asking for the vaccine to be delivered a month early, while it is still undergoing testing, but a delay in production has just cut the possible amount of available doses from 120 million to 45 million. As it stands now the vaccine is scheduled to be delivered on October 15—the same day infections are expected to peak.

ABC News

Too much to handle

By macleans.ca - Wednesday, August 19, 2009 at 9:53 AM - 5 Comments

The only Canadian pharmaceutical company licensed to produce the H1N1 vaccine will be exporting millions of doses to outside markets due to limits in the fill capacity at its Quebec-based plant. According to the Globe and Mail, the U.S. faces similar delays in its planned vaccine rollout. Health officials there have already begun “hunting for factories that can get more of the liquid into vials quicker.” But a spokesperson for the Public Health Agency of Canada told the Globe that, although the company “looked at the possibility of getting another manufacturer to help fill the vials, but it was decided that doing so could have an impact on the delivery of other essential vaccines.” For its part, GlaxoSmithKline maintains that it is “meeting all of its contractual obligations to the Canadian government.”

The Globe and Mail

H1N1 "could test all of us" this fall

By macleans.ca - Monday, August 17, 2009 at 3:49 PM - 3 Comments

Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq told the Canadian medical community to brace for an expected surge in H1N1 cases this fall. “What may come this fall is something that could test all of us, possibly to a limit we’ve never experienced,” she said at the Canadian Medical Association’s annual meeting in Saskatoon today. She announced that Ottawa will have a vaccine ready for November, but was unclear about an implementation plan. Agluakkq touched upon the medical isotope shortage saying the topic will likely be discussed at the September provincial-territorial meeting of health ministers in Winnipeg. She added that in the meantime, research into alternative medical isotopes and diagnostic techniques are key.

The Vancouver Sun

The Canadian Press

The politicization of the pandemic

By macleans.ca - Wednesday, August 12, 2009 at 6:14 PM - 3 Comments

Conservative MPs were just trying to enjoy their summer vacations; but the opposition has thrown a kink in those plans, recalling a parliamentary committee to study the swine flu epidemic. Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq is not pleased: “They don’t need to recall a parliamentary committee meeting in the middle of summer,” she explained to reporters, claiming the opposition is simply trying to “play politics.” Opposition MPs say they
called the meeting because they were dissatisfied with the government’s ability to deal with a possible H1N1 resurgence in the fall. But Aglukkaq
says it was an unnecessary political ploy, noting that more than 20 news conferences on swine flu have occurred since the spring. The federal government has approved a $926,600 agreement with the International Centre for Infections Diseases in Winnipeg, which will develop strategies for
fighting the pandemic.

Canadian Press

The Marquee Event Emergency Committee Program Presents: Liveblogging the H1N1 hearings at Health

By kadyomalley - Wednesday, August 12, 2009 at 1:22 PM - 26 Comments

As promised, ITQ will be liveblogging today’s emergency health committee meeting on whether or not to hold hearings on the government’s preparations for a possible H1N1 virus, although she’ll apparently be doing so while hanging around outside the committee room door, at least at first, since said meeting is now in camera. Opposition members could, in theory, vote to open it up, but they may be waiting to see whether the government plans to go quietly, as far as the motion itself, before deciding to up the ante by bringing in the full court press.

Meanwhile, the minister has indicated that she’s ready to appear this afternoon, if necessary, but she doesn’t sound all that happy about it — in fact, she sounds remarkably like committee chair Joy Smith did earlier this week, as she’s also accusing the opposition of “playing politics”.

1:45:41 PM
Greetings, fellow emergency committeekateers! Are we ready to hear all about how very, very not at all worried we should be about the prospect of a Canada-wide H1N1 pandemic? Pretty darned not worried at all! Or at least, that’s what ITQ assumes will be the theme of today’s presentation by Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq, although there are other witnesses scheduled to appear who may or may not share her sunny optimism.

First things first, though — before any swine flu-related fun can get underway, the committee has to vote on the motion to hold today’s meeting — yes, I know, there’s a vaguely Through The Looking-Glass quality to the sequencing of events, but just go with it. At the moment, that vote — and any preceding debate — is slated to take place away from the prying eyes of the media, but – as noted above – the committee can vote to open the doors at any point, and most likely will.

Continue…

Canadian show shut down by swine flu

By macleans.ca - Tuesday, August 4, 2009 at 3:36 PM - 1 Comment

Production on the upcoming CBC show Republic of Doyle has been shut down, not by labour disputes or lack of money, but by swine flu. The filming of the comedy-drama series, which is produced in St. John’s, was halted when two crew members contracted the H1N1 virus. The producers say that they will not resume production on the show until it is certain that they can proceed without risk of infection to the rest of the crew or to bystanders.

CBC News

People at risk

By Kate Lunau - Thursday, July 16, 2009 at 3:40 PM - 17 Comments

Rumour has it swine flu came to St. Theresa Point, in northern Manitoba, with a Catholic priest who visited Mexico in March. He flew directly into the tiny First Nations community, locals say, leaving one week later because he was so sick. Whether that’s how the H1N1 virus landed at the reserve or not, one thing’s certain: by early May, many residents there were very sick. The virus spread like wildfire to neighbouring First Nations communities.

In the global H1N1 pandemic, Canada has been disproportionately hit. Our national infection rate is now 24 per 100,000 people, significantly higher than Mexico’s, which is nine per 100,000, or that of the United States, which is 11. Even so, “the raw numbers alone aren’t helpful,” says Alan Davidson, associate professor of health studies at the University of British Columbia, Okanagan. To address the problem, he says, “we have to have an understanding of who’s being affected.” Continue…

The million mark

By macleans.ca - Monday, June 29, 2009 at 11:02 AM - 0 Comments

Monday, a new benchmark was announced by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC); the number of swine flu cases in the United States has reportedly reached 1 million. CDC said that many cases were mild, although 127 people have died since the H1N1 virus emerged almost three months ago. The average age of those who died in the US is 37. CDC’s number is much higher than the cases actually reported to authorities, and is based instead on survey material. But there is a silvery lining to all this, BBC medical correspondent Fergus Walsh insists. If those figures are correct, it suggests that the fatality rate from swine flu is much lower than authorities originally thought. Of the 1 million estimated cases, only 3,000 have required hospital treatment. Still, Dr. Anne Schuchat of CDC warns that swine flu might return this autumn in a much more virulent form.

BBC News

The unseen costs of swine flu

By Katie Engelhart - Friday, June 26, 2009 at 12:11 PM - 0 Comments

Health Canada thought about sending hand sanitizer to northern Manitoba’s flu-stricken aboriginal reserves. In fact, as the flu spread last month, public-health officials came together to debate the issue at length. In the end, their discussion hinged on a single question: whether or not the proposed hand sanitizer should have an alcohol base.

That single question was enough to paralyze the federal government, which ended up waiting weeks before sending supplies to desperate First Nations communities.

By the time government supplies arrived, some communities had already taken matters into their own hands. Chief David Harper of Garden Hill First Nation—whose remote northern reserve reported seven confirmed swine flu cases on Wednesday—says that the province’s sluggishness forced him to take $15,000 out his community’s education fund. “The high-school graduates were going to get laptops,” says Harper. “And we had to use that money for our emergency preparedness.” Money was also skimmed from an account set up to reward each Garden Hill student $50/month for perfect school attendance. This summer, 26 of the 28 Garden Hill students who started school last fall will graduate the year, a significant increase from past years. The money and promises of laptop computers “was to encourage them to move on.  And that helped a lot.”

Harper says he asked the province for supplies, but as the weeks passed and no new supplies showed up, he bought masks and hand sanitizer himself. A week after the $15,000 was spent, 2,500 bottles of government-issued hand sanitizer arrived.

Word of Health Canada’s delay was revealed Tuesday, during a Senate probe of the government’s response to the swine flu outbreak on reserves. Health Canada officials apparently hesitated in sending hand sanitizer to First Nations communities because they feared that people there would ingest the alcohol-based liquid. The department also said that supplies were on “back order,” although Harper claims that contact was made with supply companies, who disputed that statement. Grand Chief Sydney Garrioch calls that news “outrageous.” Protesting “the ignorance and possibly some racism expressed toward First Nations People,” Garrioch is calling on the Health Minister to apologize on behalf of her department.

Chief Harper also dismisses concern over alcohol content as “the poorest excuse I ever heard.” Still, the Garden Hill leader acknowledges the potential for hand sanitizer–which can contain up to 70 per cent alcohol–to be abused in his community. Harper says he has heard reports of the substance being boiled, and mixed into a drinkable concoction. He opted for non-alcoholic liquid sanitizer. In Garden Hill, the alcohol-based gel will be used mainly in public places–like the school, when it reopens. And most households will be getting disinfecting wipes, instead of a liquid product.

“First Nations leaders and communities know the intent and uses of hand sanitizer,” Chief Garrioch insisted. Hand sanitizers are especially important on Manitoba’s reserves, given that many households do have access to clean water to wash their hands with.

The inability to supply the most basic supplies to vulnerable remote communities highlights another failing of the federal government’s $1-billion national pandemic plan.  And it is that failure, perhaps, that confuses Garden Hill’s Chief Harper the most.  He stresses that his community is not being docile. “We’re not getting any help.  It doesn’t mean we’re helpless. It’s just that there’s money available for a pandemic situation.  So who’s using it?”  He is hoping to recover the money lost from his education fund in time to buy laptops for Garden Hill’s high-school graduates.

“Pandemic Plan? … Not here.”

By Katie Engelhart - Friday, June 12, 2009 at 2:12 PM - 1 Comment

The first thing Chief Dale Harper of Garden Hill, Man., did when he got off the plane from Winnipeg on Wednesday was check to see if the supplies had been delivered. “Nothing,” he says.  “Nothing came in. And nothing is scheduled to come.”

His community—which now reports two confirmed cases of H1N1, or, swine flu—has been asking for basic medical supplies all week. But so far, the province has not delivered. And Harper says the situation is getting worse, with 30 to 50 people now showing flu-like symptoms. “So far the only response is, yes we have a pandemic plan in place,” Harper explains.  “But where is? That’s our question. Where is it? Because it’s not here.”

Thursday, the World Health Organization (WHO) held an emergency meeting on swine flu, declaring the first flu pandemic in 41 years.  That afternoon, Canada confirmed 533 new cases of its own. Among those was a second case of swine flu in Harper’s small northeast community of Garden Hill, as well as a handful of new incidents in nearby St. Theresa Point. Residents on the infected reserves are not too surprised. Garden Hill and St. Theresa Point—both part of Manitoba’s Island Lake region—are some of the province’s most isolated First Nations reserves.  And what is increasingly clear, as the national swine flu count rises, is that these very kinds of communities are being disproportionately affected by the pandemic.

The plight of Canadian First Nations has captured attention at the highest levels.  Early this week, WHO acting assistant director-general, Keiji Fukado, said the organization was particularly alarmed by the number of flu cases appearing in Manitoba’s aboriginal communities. And Nunavut, with 96 confirmed cases of its own, is also cause for concern.

Some have suggested that aboriginals may be genetically predisposed to getting the flu.  But Harper is quick to dismiss those claims. “You don’t even go there,” he warns.  “That shouldn’t even be considered.” Joel Kettner, Manitoba’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, agreed Thursday that there was no evidence of a genetic link. What is more likely is that poverty, poor health, and cramped living conditions on northern reserves are to blame. And mismanagement of the problem by provincial and federal authorities has added to the mess.

Garden Hill, for example, has no doctor. Instead, it has to rely on nurses, in between visits from part-time physicians who fly between reserves. When the reserves’ first flu victim—an 18-month child—was diagnosed, it took one week before authorities had him medevaced to a hospital. And that only happened after the baby’s grandfather pleaded with local nurses. After that, locals asked for a permanent doctor. The Chief has been assured that one will come, but not until next week.

In the meantime, the dozens of people who now show symptoms are still at home—in houses that often shelter 3 or 4 families. “They’re still in the community.  There’s no doctor to say this is an emergency situation and [that the patients] have to be shipped to Winnipeg.” Harper says he has done what he can, but he’s losing hope.  He asked the province for gloves, masks and hand sanitizers to help him keep his community clean.  But so far, he says, he has nothing.

Some health officials report a different story. Terry Goertzen, Manitoba Health’s assistant deputy minister, claims that 9,000 surgical masks and 2,600 N95 masks have been sent to First Nations and Inuit Health. But he acknowledges that his office does not regulate distribution to individual communities. Instead, he says, it’s up to regional authorities to distribute supplies as they see fit. And Jim Wolfe, regional director for Health Canada’s aboriginal branch in Manitoba, says a decision has been made to send hand sanitizer to all First Nations. That’s good news. “Frequent handwashing,” as Health Canada recommends as a measure to prevent the flu spread, is awfully hard to do in a town where half the residents lack access to running water.  And it’s hard to take precautions, Harper points out, when residents are not even clear about what H1N1 is.

In Nunavut, it seems like more of the same. Chief medical officer Dr. Isaac Sobol denied that there is a problem unique to aboriginals—even as 71 newly confirmed cases in his district were reported Thursday.  And he dismissed a remark from WHO’s Fukuda, citing a “disproportionate number of serious cases occurring” in Inuit communities in Canada. “I have no idea why [the organization] would’ve made that statement because it’s not based on any evidence I’m aware of,” Sobol told reporters.

In preparation for a worsening situation in Manitoba—the province’s medical officer believes hundreds of thousands will soon be infected—Garden Hill is calling for an emergency hospital base to be set up to serve the region. That might save the province some money, as well as providing reassurance those living on reserves. Right now, the government is paying to have infected patients flown to Winnipeg hospitals for treatment. Harper prices the cost of the medevacs from Island Lake Region at over $1 million, although Manitoba Health could not confirm that estimate.

Harper says he has invited the Health Minister to come to Garden Hill and see the problem firsthand.  But so far, she has not responded to the invitation. He called her office yesterday, but was not able to speak with her directly. Until his community gets its due attention, the Health Minister can expect daily phone calls from him. He’s giving her a week. “We’re going to start pressuring. There’s ways.”

Harper has not ruled out flying the community’s sick children to Ottawa. Anything, he says, to get the attention of officials

H1N1 virus still going strong, UN takes action

By macleans.ca - Wednesday, May 20, 2009 at 5:23 PM - 0 Comments

The United Nations and world officials are raising new red flags as the worldwide number of swine flu infections reaches almost 10,000. The warnings are made more severe since drug companies announced that the progress in making a vaccine is moving slowly; a vaccine was supposed to be available in May, but now will not be ready until mid-July. Regular flu vaccine offers no protection. Because trade and travel bans are considered frivolous, UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is asking countries to avoid such bans, instead emphasizing cooperation by sharing drug and virus data to help create a vaccine quickly. Representatives from the UN and World Health Organization also met with drug companies to ensure that when a vaccine is created, it will be available to poor as well as rich countries.

Forbes

How to manage phase six

By Michael Friscolanti - Thursday, May 14, 2009 at 5:00 PM - 3 Comments

Canada’s official “Pandemic Influenza Plan” is 550 pages long, including glossary and acknowledgements. The few devoted readers who make it to page 371—“Guidelines for the Management of Mass Fatalities”—will encounter a brief but blunt discussion about this nightmare scenario: if every funeral parlour in town is filled to capacity, what happens to the overflow of flu-infected corpses?

The local hockey arena (as long as it’s chillier than eight degrees Celsius) could double as a makeshift morgue, the report says. So could a curling rink. But of all the possible storage solutions, the federal government’s pandemic playbook endorses one option above all others. “Refrigerated trucks can generally hold 25-30 bodies without additional shelving,” the document declares. “To increase storage capacity, temporary wooden shelves can be constructed of sufficient strength to hold the bodies. Shelves should be constructed in such a way that allows for safe movement and removal of bodies (i.e. storage of bodies above waist height is not recommended).”

Continue…

China quarantines 22 Montreal students

By macleans.ca - Monday, May 4, 2009 at 12:44 PM - 1 Comment

Twenty-two Canadian students with the University of Montreal’s Centre for Studies in East Asia have been quarantined in China in an effort to stop the spread of swine flu. According to officials at the university, the group of visiting students is currently being held at a hotel in the northern city of Changchun, where their temperature is taken four times daily. Though no one in the group has shown any signs of being infected with swine flu, Chinese officials plan to keep them in isolation in Changchun for another five days. China has not reported any cases of swine flu, and only one case of the virus in East Asia has been uncovered so far.

UPDATE: A young girl in Edmonton is in hospital with what health officials are describing as Canada’s first “severe” case of swine flu. The girl, whose age was not revealed, was described as being in “stable condition” and “doing well.” Her case is one of six new incidences of the virus reported in Alberta on Monday.

CBC

CTV

Swine flu: Each country has its own issues

By Philippe Gohier - Friday, May 1, 2009 at 6:40 PM - 1 Comment

Around the world:

Officials from the World Health Organization (WHO) have confirmed 15 swine-flu related deaths in Mexico, making it, by far, the hardest-hit country. Of the 589 reported cases around the globe, 343 are in Mexico, while the U.S. has 155 cases. A Mexican toddler in Texas is the country’s only swine flu-related death so far. Elsewhere, 51 cases have been confirmed in Canada; 13 in Spain; 10 in Britain; four each in Germany and New Zealand; two each in Israel and France; and one each in Switzerland, Austria, China, Denmark and the Netherlands.

In a bid to fight the spread of the virus, Mexico today began a five-day shutdown of all non-essential government offices and businesses. In a televised address, President Felipe Calderon told Mexicans, “There is no safer place than in your home to avoid being affected by the flu virus. I know many of you have had to suspend your activities and may have seen your earnings fall but it is worth it if we can look after the health of our loved ones and protect Mexico from this evil.”

In a teleconference on Friday, U.S. health officials reported the genetic sequences of the virus are remarkably similar from country to country, a finding that bodes well for the eventual development of a vaccine. Nancy Cox, the chief of the influenza division at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta, said it would take months to develop an effective vaccine, but indicated the CDC has “already started [the] process” of creating a high-yield vaccine candidate. Cox also said her office does not “see the markers for virulence that were seen in the 1918 virus,” which is considered to have been the deadliest flu outbreak in history.

The World Health Organization also announced on Thursday that it would stop using the words “swine flu” and instead refer to the virus as H1N1 influenza A. The change is meant to avoid confusion about how the disease is transmitted and, more specifically, to curtail the fears that pork products might be behind the pandemic.

Meanwhile, in the U.K., a national hotline, designed to dole out prescriptions for flu medications to thousands of simultaneous callers during a flu pandemic, is not yet operational. British health officials, who’d promised the hotline would be up and running this month, now say they hope to have the hotline operational by the fall. In the meantime, the problems associated with the phone line are raising fears doctors won’t be able to get antiviral drugs to patients quickly enough to stave off a deadly pandemic.

In Canada:

The number of swine flu cases in Canada crept up to 51 on Friday, with the largest concentration occuring in British Columbia, where 15 cases have been confirmed. Nova Scotia has 14 confirmed cases, while the rest of the infections are in Ontario (12), Alberta (8), Quebec (1) and New Brunswick (1). All the cases so far have been described by health officials as “mild.”

Prime Minister Stephen Harper was in Saskatchewan on Friday, where he expressed confidence Canadians would not panic in the face of the flu pandemic. “I sense the public is listening very carefully to various advisories and warnings they are getting,” Harper said, “and responding appropriately and that’s what we encourage.”

Public Health Officer David Butler-Jones announced the federal government would expand its information and prevention campaign to include Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Ottawa is currently encouraging Canadians to visit fightflu.ca for information about the flu.