Seven new cases of swine flu in one week have prompted the Newfoundland and Labrador government to make its stockpile of anti-viral medication to fight H1N1 influenza available to doctors.
Health officials say up until last week, there had been only one confirmed case of swine flu over the previous month.
The chief medical officer of health for the province, Dr. Faith Stratton, said all of the new cases were mild, but the frequency convinced officials to release the medicine.
"We were waiting for some of the triggers to occur," she said, "which was the increase in the number of cases, and we wanted to see it generally in the community, which is exactly what happened in other provinces."
None of the people diagnosed last week were given the anti-viral medication Tamiflu, which is given to patients who have contracted severe H1N1. The drug is mainly reserved for such cases, and there haven't been any severe swine flu cases in the province since last spring, health officials said.
Stratton said there will be enough of the anti-viral medication available for everyone who needs it.
"We have enough in the country that [we] would be able to treat anybody who would need treatment. We also, once we run out of our stockpile, if we do, then there is another national emergency stockpile that we can access."
The province has now confirmed 114 total cases of swine flu.
It has been diagnosed in every health region in the province except Labrador, although health officials suspect it is there as well.
The Newfoundland and Labrador government is working on a plan to carry out a mass immunization against swine flu this fall. The vaccine, which should be ready for use in the province by the second or third week of November, will be made available to everyone who wants it.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2009/10/20/nl-swine-flue-201009.html
Health officials say up until last week, there had been only one confirmed case of swine flu over the previous month.
The chief medical officer of health for the province, Dr. Faith Stratton, said all of the new cases were mild, but the frequency convinced officials to release the medicine.
"We were waiting for some of the triggers to occur," she said, "which was the increase in the number of cases, and we wanted to see it generally in the community, which is exactly what happened in other provinces."
None of the people diagnosed last week were given the anti-viral medication Tamiflu, which is given to patients who have contracted severe H1N1. The drug is mainly reserved for such cases, and there haven't been any severe swine flu cases in the province since last spring, health officials said.
Stratton said there will be enough of the anti-viral medication available for everyone who needs it.
"We have enough in the country that [we] would be able to treat anybody who would need treatment. We also, once we run out of our stockpile, if we do, then there is another national emergency stockpile that we can access."
The province has now confirmed 114 total cases of swine flu.
It has been diagnosed in every health region in the province except Labrador, although health officials suspect it is there as well.
The Newfoundland and Labrador government is working on a plan to carry out a mass immunization against swine flu this fall. The vaccine, which should be ready for use in the province by the second or third week of November, will be made available to everyone who wants it.
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/newfoundland-labrador/story/2009/10/20/nl-swine-flue-201009.html