sharon sanders
Editor-in-Chief & President
Report: Flu pandemic would kill thousands
Ontario ill-prepared for outbreak
By BRETT CLARKSON AND KEVIN CONNOR, SUN MEDIA
Ontario is not prepared to handle an infectious disease outbreak -- especially a large-scale influenza pandemic -- according to the 2007 Auditor General of Ontario's annual report.
The audit of the outbreak preparedness in the ministry of health and long-term care found that the province's health-care system has taken steps to build on the lessons learned from the 2003 SARS outbreak -- but that crucial planning still has to take place.
Health officials estimate that an influenza pandemic would kill between 5,000 and 12,000 people in Ontario and hospitalize between 22,000 and 52,000. To compare, SARS killed 44 during the four-month outbreak in 2003 and hospitalized 312.
The report says the ministry "does not have assurance that all members of the health system knew what to do in planning for and during a pandemic."
As a result, the report lists recommendations that would serve to help prepare Ontario for such a catastrophic flu bug. The recommendations include, among other things, regularly updating the Ontario Health Plan For An Influenza Pandemic, requiring local public health officers to arrange for non-hospital quarantine sites, and filling the "large number of vacancies" of medical officers of health in provincial public health offices.
But for everyone else who wants to do their part to keep a flu outbreak at bay, it's still not too late to get a flu shot to help ward off an outbreak in the city, experts say.
"Getting a flu shot is the best method to avoid being sick and if you haven't done so it's still not too late. The shot is safe and effective," said Irene Armstrong, the associate medical officer of health with Toronto Public Health.
Flu season starts in November and runs until April.
This year there have been a few laboratory confirmed cases of influenza, but nothing out of the ordinary.
"It's difficult to predict what type of season we will have or what strain will emerge," Armstrong said. Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease of birds and mammals.
In humans, the common symptoms of influenza are fever, a sore throat, muscle pains, severe headache, coughing and weakness.
In serious cases, influenza causes pneumonia, which can be fatal, especially for young children and the elderly. "If you are sick stay home and get rest and drink plenty of fluids.
"Stay away from work or school where you could infect others," Armstrong said. "Practice hand hygiene and use alcohol-based hand sanitizers."
This year, TPH has vaccinated more than 30,000 people with the flu shot.
TPH will be holding additional flu shot clinics.
For dates and places, go to toronto.ca/health.
http://torontosun.com/News/Canada/2007/12/24/4739039-sun.html
Ontario ill-prepared for outbreak
By BRETT CLARKSON AND KEVIN CONNOR, SUN MEDIA
Ontario is not prepared to handle an infectious disease outbreak -- especially a large-scale influenza pandemic -- according to the 2007 Auditor General of Ontario's annual report.
The audit of the outbreak preparedness in the ministry of health and long-term care found that the province's health-care system has taken steps to build on the lessons learned from the 2003 SARS outbreak -- but that crucial planning still has to take place.
Health officials estimate that an influenza pandemic would kill between 5,000 and 12,000 people in Ontario and hospitalize between 22,000 and 52,000. To compare, SARS killed 44 during the four-month outbreak in 2003 and hospitalized 312.
The report says the ministry "does not have assurance that all members of the health system knew what to do in planning for and during a pandemic."
As a result, the report lists recommendations that would serve to help prepare Ontario for such a catastrophic flu bug. The recommendations include, among other things, regularly updating the Ontario Health Plan For An Influenza Pandemic, requiring local public health officers to arrange for non-hospital quarantine sites, and filling the "large number of vacancies" of medical officers of health in provincial public health offices.
But for everyone else who wants to do their part to keep a flu outbreak at bay, it's still not too late to get a flu shot to help ward off an outbreak in the city, experts say.
"Getting a flu shot is the best method to avoid being sick and if you haven't done so it's still not too late. The shot is safe and effective," said Irene Armstrong, the associate medical officer of health with Toronto Public Health.
Flu season starts in November and runs until April.
This year there have been a few laboratory confirmed cases of influenza, but nothing out of the ordinary.
"It's difficult to predict what type of season we will have or what strain will emerge," Armstrong said. Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is an infectious disease of birds and mammals.
In humans, the common symptoms of influenza are fever, a sore throat, muscle pains, severe headache, coughing and weakness.
In serious cases, influenza causes pneumonia, which can be fatal, especially for young children and the elderly. "If you are sick stay home and get rest and drink plenty of fluids.
"Stay away from work or school where you could infect others," Armstrong said. "Practice hand hygiene and use alcohol-based hand sanitizers."
This year, TPH has vaccinated more than 30,000 people with the flu shot.
TPH will be holding additional flu shot clinics.
For dates and places, go to toronto.ca/health.
http://torontosun.com/News/Canada/2007/12/24/4739039-sun.html