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http://www.cbc.ca/canada/toronto/story/2009/10/28/influenza-toronto.html
Last Updated: Wednesday, October 28, 2009 | 4:15 PM ET Comments17Recommend7.
CBC News
Toronto's Sick Children's Hospital says it's as if the height of the influenza season has arrived months early.
Over the past 24 hours the hospital has treated "double" the normal number of cases.
Dr. Anne Matlow, the hospital's director of infection control, held an impromptu news conference on the sidewalk outside the medical facility on Wednesday morning to answer questions raised by the spike in the number of people seeking treatment for their children at the hospital.
"The numbers were higher than they have been," said Matlow. "What we're seeing right now is exactly what we see in the middle of the flu season ? it's as if the whole curve moved forward," she said.
But Matlow cautioned that most of the cases that arrived at the hospital emergency room on Tuesday were relatively mild, normal cases.
"Most of them had influenza-like illness. So, fever, cough, may have some other symptoms that go with it ? chills, runny nose, occasionally gastrointestinal complaints, headaches, muscle aches and pains," she said.
"Most have been absolutely mild and have been sent home."
Toronto was shocked on Tuesday when the city's department of public health confirmed that the death of a 13-year-old boy was the result of H1N1.
The teen, Evan Frustaglio, died Monday at another hospital. He went from having minor cold symptoms to dying within 72 hours.
"It just happened real fast. We don't know what to do. We don't know what to say," his father Paul Frustaglio said.
The teen's death obviously struck something in the general population. Queues for influenza vaccinations have swollen in many parts of the Greater Toronto Area and the City of Toronto has moved up its vaccination schedule.
Matlow said she empathizes with parents whose children are ill but rushing to hospital emergency rooms is not the answer.
"We're discouraging parents from coming here as their first stop unless they have chronic medical conditions ? otherwise they should go to their family doctor. If they're unsure they should call Telehealth," she said.
Matlow said some of the anxiety is being fed by what she called "media hysteria" but that it was understandable that there would be heightened concerns following the death of the teen.
Matlow said that the increased awareness would help to convince people to take influenza more seriously.
"I think this will tip us over to how we're going to react going forward in treating influenza ? as a rule ? much more seriously," she said.
Last Updated: Wednesday, October 28, 2009 | 4:15 PM ET Comments17Recommend7.
CBC News
Toronto's Sick Children's Hospital says it's as if the height of the influenza season has arrived months early.
Over the past 24 hours the hospital has treated "double" the normal number of cases.
Dr. Anne Matlow, the hospital's director of infection control, held an impromptu news conference on the sidewalk outside the medical facility on Wednesday morning to answer questions raised by the spike in the number of people seeking treatment for their children at the hospital.
"The numbers were higher than they have been," said Matlow. "What we're seeing right now is exactly what we see in the middle of the flu season ? it's as if the whole curve moved forward," she said.
But Matlow cautioned that most of the cases that arrived at the hospital emergency room on Tuesday were relatively mild, normal cases.
"Most of them had influenza-like illness. So, fever, cough, may have some other symptoms that go with it ? chills, runny nose, occasionally gastrointestinal complaints, headaches, muscle aches and pains," she said.
"Most have been absolutely mild and have been sent home."
Toronto was shocked on Tuesday when the city's department of public health confirmed that the death of a 13-year-old boy was the result of H1N1.
The teen, Evan Frustaglio, died Monday at another hospital. He went from having minor cold symptoms to dying within 72 hours.
"It just happened real fast. We don't know what to do. We don't know what to say," his father Paul Frustaglio said.
The teen's death obviously struck something in the general population. Queues for influenza vaccinations have swollen in many parts of the Greater Toronto Area and the City of Toronto has moved up its vaccination schedule.
Matlow said she empathizes with parents whose children are ill but rushing to hospital emergency rooms is not the answer.
"We're discouraging parents from coming here as their first stop unless they have chronic medical conditions ? otherwise they should go to their family doctor. If they're unsure they should call Telehealth," she said.
Matlow said some of the anxiety is being fed by what she called "media hysteria" but that it was understandable that there would be heightened concerns following the death of the teen.
Matlow said that the increased awareness would help to convince people to take influenza more seriously.
"I think this will tip us over to how we're going to react going forward in treating influenza ? as a rule ? much more seriously," she said.