Pathfinder
Editor, Senior Moderator
<CITE>By CBC News, cbc.ca, </CITE>Updated: November 19, 2009
Ottawa flu cases wane
The City of Ottawa will close most of its special flu assessment centres on Friday thanks to the dwindling number of flu cases.
"Their patient load has dropped over the last week," Dr. Isra Levy,
Ottawa's medical officer of health, said Thursday. "They're relatively quiet and the hospital emergency room load has decreased back to something close to usual levels."
In recent days, Levy added, fewer students have also been absent from school and there have been fewer outbreaks of respiratory illness in institutions, suggesting the swine flu virus is not as active in the community.
"In general, I think we have seen very promising signs," he said, "but ? it's critically important for us to keep in mind that the flu season is not over.
It does last for many more months."
Levy added that pandemic H1N1 is still the main circulating strain of influenza.
The flu assessment centres opened on Nov. 4 in an effort to divert patients with milder flu symptoms away from emergency departments if they couldn't reach a family doctor. Since then they have seen 3,000 patients, Ottawa Public Health reported.
Closing them will let the city's community health centres turn their attention back to other programs, Levy said.
Only the flu assessment centre at the Tungasuvvingat Inuit Community Centre will continue to operate after Friday, as infection rates in Ottawa's Inuit community continue to rise.
Levy also announced that the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario and the Queensway Carleton Hospital will be closing their special separate emergency rooms for people with flu symptoms.
While the number of flu cases seems to be waning, Levy is still urging everyone to get vaccinated. He said there have been five deaths related to H1N1 in Ottawa since the beginning of September, and he expects more.
The city's vaccination clinics are now open to all Ottawa residents.
Additional vaccination clinics will be held this weekend at all Ottawa hospitals for staff, volunteers and their families.
http://news.ca.msn.com/local/ottawa/article.aspx?cp-documentid=22657459
Ottawa flu cases wane
The City of Ottawa will close most of its special flu assessment centres on Friday thanks to the dwindling number of flu cases.
"Their patient load has dropped over the last week," Dr. Isra Levy,
Ottawa's medical officer of health, said Thursday. "They're relatively quiet and the hospital emergency room load has decreased back to something close to usual levels."
In recent days, Levy added, fewer students have also been absent from school and there have been fewer outbreaks of respiratory illness in institutions, suggesting the swine flu virus is not as active in the community.
"In general, I think we have seen very promising signs," he said, "but ? it's critically important for us to keep in mind that the flu season is not over.
It does last for many more months."
Levy added that pandemic H1N1 is still the main circulating strain of influenza.
The flu assessment centres opened on Nov. 4 in an effort to divert patients with milder flu symptoms away from emergency departments if they couldn't reach a family doctor. Since then they have seen 3,000 patients, Ottawa Public Health reported.
Closing them will let the city's community health centres turn their attention back to other programs, Levy said.
Only the flu assessment centre at the Tungasuvvingat Inuit Community Centre will continue to operate after Friday, as infection rates in Ottawa's Inuit community continue to rise.
Levy also announced that the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario and the Queensway Carleton Hospital will be closing their special separate emergency rooms for people with flu symptoms.
While the number of flu cases seems to be waning, Levy is still urging everyone to get vaccinated. He said there have been five deaths related to H1N1 in Ottawa since the beginning of September, and he expects more.
The city's vaccination clinics are now open to all Ottawa residents.
Additional vaccination clinics will be held this weekend at all Ottawa hospitals for staff, volunteers and their families.
http://news.ca.msn.com/local/ottawa/article.aspx?cp-documentid=22657459