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Flu hits Ontario reserve near St. Theresa Point: Hundreds become ill, antivirals handed out
By: Helen Branswell
15/06/2009 1:00 AM
TORONTO -- Swine flu has started to circulate in First Nations communities in northwestern Ontario, with hundreds of people falling ill on the Sandy Lake First Nation.
Chief Adam Fiddler said Sunday that an enhanced contingent of nurses and a doctor were distributing the antiviral drug Tamiflu to the ill.
"We do have a lot of sick people... 120 (Friday) alone and they saw many (Saturday) and all day (Sunday)," he said by phone from the community.
He said people don't seem to be suffering more severe disease than is seen during regular flu seasons. The challenge is the fact that a lot of people are sick at the same time, which is why extra nurses and a doctor were flown in to help.
The community is located near the Manitoba border. Fiddler said half of the kids attending the community's school were out sick last week and a decision was taken to close the school.
Local authorities urged people to try to avoid exposure to those who are sick -- but that'll be tough in the fly-in community of 2,700 people.
"When... you're in the city you may have two or three people and it's easy to say: stay home," Fiddler said. "But when you have three families living in one house, you're all going to be in contact. And it's more difficult to contain here in the community."
Authorities have also asked people in Sandy Lake not to travel to other First Nations communities along the lake, Kee-Way-Win and Koochiching, so as not to spread the virus.
Sandy Lake First Nation is a community of Oji-Cree, a combination of Ojibwa and Cree. It is not far from St. Theresa Point, the Manitoba community that hit the news last week with a serious outbreak of swine flu.
More than two dozen people from St. Theresa Point have been flown to Winnipeg for treatment.
Fiddler said five or six people from Sandy Lake have also been flown out for treatment, though none was suffering from life-threatening illness. His 11-year-old son was one of them. The boy, who has severe asthma, was flown out for care early last week, but has since returned home -- as have most of the people who were flown out for treatment.
By: Helen Branswell
15/06/2009 1:00 AM
TORONTO -- Swine flu has started to circulate in First Nations communities in northwestern Ontario, with hundreds of people falling ill on the Sandy Lake First Nation.
Chief Adam Fiddler said Sunday that an enhanced contingent of nurses and a doctor were distributing the antiviral drug Tamiflu to the ill.
"We do have a lot of sick people... 120 (Friday) alone and they saw many (Saturday) and all day (Sunday)," he said by phone from the community.
He said people don't seem to be suffering more severe disease than is seen during regular flu seasons. The challenge is the fact that a lot of people are sick at the same time, which is why extra nurses and a doctor were flown in to help.
The community is located near the Manitoba border. Fiddler said half of the kids attending the community's school were out sick last week and a decision was taken to close the school.
Local authorities urged people to try to avoid exposure to those who are sick -- but that'll be tough in the fly-in community of 2,700 people.
"When... you're in the city you may have two or three people and it's easy to say: stay home," Fiddler said. "But when you have three families living in one house, you're all going to be in contact. And it's more difficult to contain here in the community."
Authorities have also asked people in Sandy Lake not to travel to other First Nations communities along the lake, Kee-Way-Win and Koochiching, so as not to spread the virus.
Sandy Lake First Nation is a community of Oji-Cree, a combination of Ojibwa and Cree. It is not far from St. Theresa Point, the Manitoba community that hit the news last week with a serious outbreak of swine flu.
More than two dozen people from St. Theresa Point have been flown to Winnipeg for treatment.
Fiddler said five or six people from Sandy Lake have also been flown out for treatment, though none was suffering from life-threatening illness. His 11-year-old son was one of them. The boy, who has severe asthma, was flown out for care early last week, but has since returned home -- as have most of the people who were flown out for treatment.