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Kids carry H1N1 virus back to B.C. schools

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  • Kids carry H1N1 virus back to B.C. schools

    Kids carry H1N1 virus back to B.C. schools

    Health officials prepare for 'generally mild' illness

    By Wendy McLellan, The Province

    August 25, 2009 12:38 PM


    Dr. Perry Kendall (with Dr. Bonnie Henry in background) says B.C. will have its supply of H1N1 vaccine by November and at-risk people will be vaccinated by the end of December.Photograph by: Wayne Leidenfrost, The ProvinceB.C. schools are preparing for an outbreak of swine flu this fall.

    Health officials have tracked the H1N1 influenza virus ? also know as swine flu ? to communities across the province, but the new school year will likely launch a resurgence of cases, according to B.C.'s provincial health officer.

    "We can expect quite reasonably that, when the kids come back to school, they'll bring the virus back with them," Dr. Perry Kendall said Monday at a media briefing on the province's H1N1 school plans.

    Last spring, when B.C. identified the first cases of swine flu in children, six schools temporarily closed to try to stop the spread of the virus, amid fears it could cause severe illness.

    But H1N1 has turned out to be less fearsome than anticipated and school closures are no longer part of the flu plan, Kendall said.

    "Closures early last spring were initiated out of an abundance of caution because we had very little information on the novel flu virus at that time," he said.

    "It has since become apparent that the disease caused by this virus is generally mild and does not warrant such severe measures." The new H1N1 virus has been in B.C. since April. So far, lab testing has confirmed 773 cases, but many more people have fallen sick wth it, Kendall said.

    Four B.C. residents, all with underlying health problems, have died -- and 38 more were serious enough to require hospitalization. Of those, 25 have been discharged from hospital and 13 remain in hospital, recovering.

    In a typical year, 200 to 800 B.C. residents die from influenza and its complications, Kendall said.

    In Canada, there have been more than 7,000 lab-confirmed cases of swine flu, and 70 deaths related to the virus.

    Most otherwise-healthy children and adults infected with H1N1 will recover without the need for any medical attention. However, children under age five, as well as pregnant women and people with chronic illnesses, may suffer more serious complications, Kendall said.

    The province will have its supply of H1N1 vaccine by November and a plan is under way to ensure people who need it will be vaccinated by the end of December, he said. B.C. is also talking to pharmacists about whether they might help administer some of the vaccines.

    But unlike the typical seasonal influenza, the younger population ? ages 12 to 55 ? are more likely to get swine flu than the elderly. The kids get sick and the virus spreads among other students at school, then they take it home and into the community.

    The province has developed new educational materials for schools, parents and students to explain the H1N1 risks and how to prevent infection.

    Health officials are also working with school boards on plans to deal with sick students and how to manage a widespread outbreak if one occurs.

    B.C. has guidelines allowing health officers to decide to close a school, daycare or other community facility in order to manage a flu outbreak.

    "It will be a nasty illness experience, but they [sick people] will manage perfectly well at home on their own," Kendall said.

    "It will look more like a bad, ordinary influenza than anything else."


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