Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

[Shiloh]

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

Source: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/br...on-northern-reserves-say-chiefs-48188812.html


Field hospitals needed to battle flu on northern reserves, say chiefs
By: Mia Rabson

16/06/2009 4:39 PM |

OTTAWA - Chiefs from the Island Lake region in Manitoba want the government to set up a field hospital in their communities to handle the surge of patients with flu symptoms.

Chiefs from three of the four Island communities ? Garden Hill, St. Theresa Point and Wasagamack ? were in the nation?s capital Tuesday hoping to get a face-to-face meeting with the ministers of health and Indian affairs so they could ask for more help.

More than 20 cases of H1N1 influenza have been confirmed among residents from Island Lake, many of whom have been transported to hospital in Winnipeg by air ambulance.

"We are asking the federal government to meet with us before it gets worse," said Chief Jerry Knott, the chair of the Island Lake Tribal Council and Chief of Wasagamack.

More than10,000 people live in the four Island Lake reserves, which are among the most impoverished in Manitoba. In St. Theresa Point and Garden Hill, more than half the homes do not have running water, making public health advice to wash hands frequently far more difficult.

Requests for hand sanitizer to distribute to residents have been met with a shipment to the nursing stations, but the sanitizer is not available for use among residents, said Garden Hill Chief David Harper.

He said he spent $15,000 to buy masks and hand sanitizer, money that was intended for the school graduation.

NDP MP Niki Ashton visited St. Theresa Point and Garden Hill over the weekend and said residents are scared.

She said she is embarrassed as a Canadian to see the conditions people are living in and the lack of response from Ottawa.

 

[the doctor]

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

"Dr. Joel Kettner said numbers of cases are still small and analyses have to be treated with caution, but the impression created by the number of medical evacuations from remote northern communities seems to reflect a real situation.

"It appears from our information that . . . (among) our most severe cases, there's an over-representation from a population and demographic perspective, of First Nations and aboriginal people," Kettner, the chief medical officer of health, said Monday in an interview from Winnipeg.

He said his staff have been analyzing hospital admissions and other types of data to see who is getting sick and who among them is getting most severely ill.

Epidemiological information like that is critical for public health officials trying to tailor advice on reducing risk of exposure. As well, authorities will need to know who is at highest risk so that they can revise priority lists for pandemic vaccine when it becomes available.

Kettner said two-thirds of 24 Manitobans in intensive care units fighting swine flu last week were First Nations people. Given that aboriginal peoples make up only 10 to 15 per cent of the population of the province, that seems an unduly large proportion, he said."

Dr. Kettner appears to be changing his opinion regarding the possibility that aboriginal peoples may indeed be more susceptible to this virus than Canadians of European origin.

Clearly, this is the case. The reason is not known.

GW

 

[hornblower]

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

This is from last week but a relevant document to archive as it shows the concerns of the nursing staff:

From the Manitoba Nurses Union.

http://www.nursesunion.mb.ca/news/state-of-emergency-at-two-winnipeg-hospitals.html


State of emergency at two Winnipeg hospitals

The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority has advised the MNU office and local executive that due to continuing increases in the number of H1N1 cases, a state of emergency has been declared at the St. Boniface and Victoria Hospitals. Currently there are 68 confirmed cases in Winnipeg and 152 province- wide.

As a precautionary measure, some surgical slates have been moved from St. Boniface Hospital to Victoria Hospital. Surgical staff and equipment has been moved to Victoria Hospital to open up more critical care beds at St. Boniface Hospital to accommodate any new H1N1 cases.

The statement of emergency at two Winnipeg hospitals came as the World Health Organization declared the first flu pandemic in four decades. This does not mean the virus is causing severe illness, but that it has spread across 74 countries.

MNU President Sandi Mowat has been in close contact with the provincial government and she has been assured that nurses will be provided with N95 masks. As of today, we can confirm that nurses are being fit-tested for N95 masks and they are being made available to our members.

The Canadian Federation of Nurses' Unions, along with the Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada, developed a policy directive to help protect nurses. The directive recommends:

Immediate action around the identification and isolation of all patients with ILI symptoms and identification of all nurses and healthcare workers who may be at risk of exposure to H1N1, including those who are at the first point of contact in a care setting.

Immediate fit testing of NIOSH-approved N95 respirators and provision of all appropriate PPE to healthcare workers at risk of exposure, as well as the provision of education and training.

Immediate collaboration between all stakeholders is needed to formulate surge capacity protocols that can be carried out to ensure a safe supply of nurses and other health workers to manage health emergencies. This would include any accommodation rights as per collective agreements.

The WRHA has maintained ongoing contact with the MNU office and local executive at the affected facilities. The emergency declaration invokes Article 10 of the MNU collective agreement. For the duration of the emergency, the following provisions may apply:

Shift rotations may be suspended or altered and nurses may be assigned to work on different units or transferred to another facility.

If transferred to another facility, the terms of the collective agreement from the sending facility will remain in effect.

The duration of the emergency will be determined by medical circumstances. However, MNU will closely monitor the situation to ensure that working conditions are normalized as soon as possible.

If in situations where nurses are transferred to work in other health care facilities where MNU members are already employed, additional shifts and/or overtime will not necessarily be offered to the nurses normally employed at that facility.

We have advised the WRHA that MNU members will, as always, provide the best possible patient care. We have advised that the MNU will reserve all contractual rights to deal with issues that arise during emergency and will make every reasonable effort to assist the WRHA by not raising contractual barriers during the emergency.

However, we have also notified the WRHA that the safety of our members is non-negotiable and we will expect that all safety and PPE equipment will be provided to nurses as and when needed. We have also asked the WRHA to make every effort to consider extenuating circumstances when reassigning our members to avoid undue hardship.

If your work schedule is affected by the declared emergency, the MNU office advises:

That you keep track of all hours worked. Your Labour Relations Officer will assist you with any compensation issues that may arise.

If you have any questions, particularly about safety issues, please contact your local executive or your Labour Relations Officer as soon as possible.

We remain hopeful that this emergency will be resolved early. However, we expect that there may be more cases from Northern Manitoba. We will continue to keep local executive and members at affected facilities fully informed. The WRHA has provided timely information at affected facilities and to the MNU office. If there are any changes, we will update the website and provided information directly to affected facilities.

Download a copy of the CFNU policy directive.


______

Nursing shortages are very real in Manitoba. Considers this 'from the ground report' on the allnurses message board:

http://allnurses.com/canadian-nurses/there-really-nursing-349693.html

"The nursing shortage in Manitoba is real. They are recruiting from the Philippines again, despite the less-than-satisfactory results of their last recruitment drive there in 2000. (Most of the nurses recruited at that time left after a year to pursue opportunities south of the border.) They are also making it very attractive for Manitoba nurses who have left the province to "come home". Nursing education programs are not turning out enough nurses to replace the ones who are eligible to retire each year, and the population continues to grow. I looked at the HSC website and there are many positions posted as "open until filled". I can't imagine that the shortage will have evaporated by the time you graduate in 2012. "

______________________


http://www.nursesunion.mb.ca/news/nurses-from-the-philippines-arrive-in-winnipeg.html

Nurses from the Philippines Arrive in Winnipeg

Wednesday, 27 May 2009

Around 35 nurses from the Philippines arrived at the Winnipeg airport Monday night excited to begin a new life in Canada.

The nurses were greeted by Assiniboine Regional Health Authority (ARHA) staff and Manitoba Nurses' Union representatives. The ARHA staff first met the nurses when they flew to the Philippines to conduct interviews.

The ARHA areas that will recieve nurses include Russell, Hamiota, Shoal Lake, Minnedosa, Neepawa, Trehherne, Killarney, Souris, Deloraine and Virden.

Temporary licenses will be granted by Manitoba's College of Registered Nurses to practice as graduate nurses. They are expected to write the Canadian Registered Nurse Exam in October.

The first few days in Canada will be spent adjusting to the time difference, settling into their accommodations, and touring the new communities. The nurses will take part in various orientation sessions over the next few weeks, preparing them for employment.

 

[the doctor]

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

They are taking extraordinary steps to augment the nursing staff. Fortunately, having worked with many nurses trained in the Philippines, I can attest to their being among the best nursing professionals available. These RNs will make a big difference in the stressed Manitoba hospitals.

GW

 

[cartski]

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

They are taking extraordinary steps to augment the nursing staff. Fortunately, having worked with many nurses trained in the Philippines, I can attest to their being among the best nursing professionals available. These RNs will make a big difference in the stressed Manitoba hospitals.

GW

I would suspect that this program was begun long before the current H1 situation. Immigration and recruitment programs move slowly. And the nursing shortages are well documented by CIHI analyses. Locally, Winnipeg nursing admissions to university programs are low, I believe.

J.

 

[JimO]

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

Sounds like a win-win to me. The nurses are desperately needed and highly qualified, and they are thrilled to be there. In an era when the media focuses so much on the selfish acts of people, it is inspiring to see people willing to risk their own health and even their lives to help others.

 

[cartski]

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

"Given that aboriginal peoples make up only 10 to 15 per cent of the population of the province, that seems an unduly large proportion, he said."

Yeesh.

Dr. Kettner is an extremely intelligent person. However, beaurocracy and politics may be getting the better of him. This comment is too guarded.

Let's see a gapminder graph of a major health determinant against income for various cultural groups in Canada.

Let's see the data compilations from the forms submitted to Health Canada.

Let's see the reports from HCW and Epi investigators on simply how diffiicult it is to frequently wash one's hands while living on reserves.

There's no "seems" about it.

J.

 

[cartski]

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

Manitoba News Release
............................................................
June 17, 2009

BULLETIN #24 H1N1 FLU

. Manitoba Health and Healthy Living is reporting 34 new confirmed cases of H1N1 flu, bringing the Manitoba total to 260 reported laboratory-confirmed cases.

. The call to action for health-care workers in northern Manitoba is continuing. In addition to the normal complement of health-care professionals working in the north, there are two doctors and two more nurse practitioners scheduled to work in northern communities this week. Additional staff responding to the call to action include about 20 nurses and 10 medical residents. Logistical issues surrounding the supervision of medical residents and licences continue to be addressed. Interested physician and nurses can indicate their interest in working in northern communities that need additional resources by visiting the flu website at www.manitoba.ca where there is a Physicians and Nurses Needed button.

. All Manitobans are at risk for exposure to the H1N1 virus. The influenza outbreak is provincewide and it is likely that H1N1 is present in every community in Manitoba. Although there has been an increase in the number of people with severe respiratory illness, this has been a small proportion of the people who have had the flu in Manitoba in the last two months. The majority of people in Manitoba who have become ill have not required hospitalization.

. Contact your health-care provider or visit your nearest health-care centre if you are concerned that you may need advice or care, especially if your symptoms are severe or worsening (i.e. shortness of breath, dehydration, worsening fever, cough or weakness). It's important to seek prompt care if you are concerned you need it as early intervention is important in treating severe influenza-like illness.

. More information about the prevention and care of H1N1 flu is available on the flu website at www.manitoba.ca.

SUMMARY OF ALL CONFIRMED H1N1 CASES IN MANITOBA AS OF JUNE 17
RHA
(Patient's residence) Total
Assiniboine 3
Brandon 10
Burntwood/Churchill 80
Central 1
Interlake 6
NOR-MAN 21
North Eastman 6
Parkland 7
South Eastman 4
Winnipeg 122
Total 260

. Manitoba has reported two deaths associated with H1N1 influenza.

 

[cartski]

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

I can't post a summary table or chart of the numbers, unfortunately.

But note the 40% increase in Burntwood numbers since the 15th, but a 79% increase in Winnipeg's, and a 71% increase overall.

Winnipeg is now on its own, divergent course of disease.

J.

 

[Quiplash]

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

Here is the webpage with the archive of the daily Manitoba media bulletins re: H1N1 ---
http://www.gov.mb.ca/flu/bulletins.html

I am currently entering this data into a spreadsheet to track it as H1N1 spreads.

 

[Diane Morin]

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

Family of Manitoba swine flu victim in shock and grieving

Last Updated: Wednesday, June 17, 2009 | 4:05 PM CT Comments1Recommend1

CBC News


The family of a Manitoba woman is grieving after health officials confirmed she died as a result of complications due to swine flu.

"The thing that's going through my mind right now is just the shock of her being gone," said Dianne Lehmann Ballantyne, whose cousin, Lorraine Wilson, 45, died on Tuesday.

"I'm glad that she went fast. I take comfort in knowing that she was a good person, and it didn't take long for her to go. She went on her own, and I'm happy with that."

'I take comfort in knowing that she was a good person, and it didn't take long for her to go.'— Dianne Lehmann Ballantyne
​

Wilson, who lived on the Opaskwayak Cree Nation, about 730 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg, went to hospital in The Pas on June 6. She was given Tylenol and sent back home, said Lehmann Ballantyne.

Wilson went back to the hospital the following day feeling even worse and was flown by air ambulance to Winnipeg, where doctors confirmed she had the H1N1 influenza A virus, said Lehmann Ballantyne.

Wilson also contracted pneumonia and was put on life support. As her kidneys failed and her condition got worse, Wilson's family met to decide whether to keep her hooked up to the machines. Before they could make a decision, she died of a heart attack on June 16.

"I'm glad she went on her own and the burden wasn't left on anybody to make the ultimate decision," said Lehmann Ballantyne. "It's hard enough to see someone in that shape and condition and idly waiting. It's comforting to know God stepped in."
Manitoba's first swine flu fatalities

Wilson, along with a Winnipeg man who was also in his 40s, were reported by the provincial government on Tuesday as Manitoba's first H1N1 fatalities. The man had no underlying medical conditions, provincial health officials said.

The identities of the victims were not been released by the government. Wilson's family was located by a CBC News reporter based in The Pas.
Members of her family sat on the back porch at the home of Wilson's brother, Guy Constant, remembering her on Tuesday.

Constant, 44, said he is looking forward to having his sister return home one last time for a celebration of her life and an emotional farewell.
Wilson, who worked as a librarian at the Joe A. Ross First Nations school on the OCN reserve, leaves behind a husband, 23-year-old daughter, and a stepdaughter.

Sydney Garrioch, grand chief of Manitoba Keewatinowi Okimakanak, an organization representing northern Manitoba First Nations, said the entire community is in shock and worried about whom the virus will strike next.
"The leadership in the community are very concerned about this unfortunate death. They are working very hard to make sure people [are] informed," he said.

 

[Chuck]

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

http://www.calgaryherald.com/Health...toba+reserve+denied+Chiefs/1706383/story.html

Field hospital for flu-struck Manitoba reserve denied: Chiefs


By Jorge Barrera, Canwest News ServiceJune 17, 2009 6:01 PM


During a meeting between the federal health minister and First Nations leaders Wednesday, the federal government turned down a request to set up a field hospital in a northern Manitoba First Nations region hit hard by swine flu, according to one of the chiefs who attended.

Garden Hill First Nations Chief David Harper said a senior Health Canada official told the chiefs that setting up a field hospital would actually slow down efforts to stem the outbreak of the H1N1 virus in their communities. Harper said he responded by saying that it takes around 20 hours for someone from the aboriginal communities ? which sit about 600 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg ? to get flown to hospital in Winnipeg for treatment.

Harper, along with chiefs from St. Theresa Point First Nation and Wasagamack First Nation, met with Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq for 30 minutes and Indian Affairs Minister Chuck Strahl for close to an hour. Harper said the meetings were positive and he came away with a renewed belief that the federal government is concerned about the situation in their communities.

"(Aglukkaq) heard us, she knows why we were there and we told her that there is a problem at hand we need to start moving forward on this and not stalling," said Harper.

Aglukkaq's office said, "the minister had a productive meeting with the chiefs. The meeting went well."

Churchill NDP MP Niki Ashton said the ministers should have agreed to the field hospital.

"I'm very concerned that the field hospital was rejected ? these communities need strengthened medical services," said Ashton in a media statement.

Harper, along with St. Theresa Point Chief David McDougall and Wasagamack Chief Jerry Knott, had travelled to Ottawa to implore federal officials to take action in their region, which is being buffeted by an H1N1 flu outbreak.

Manitoba's health authority said earlier in the week that there are 78 cases of swine flu in the small communities.

The chiefs said they face shortages of medical personnel and supplies to deal with the flu outbreak, including a lack of hand sanitizers in communities where many houses are overcrowded and lack running water.

In Garden Hill, only 200 out of 480 houses have water and sewer connections, according to data from the Indian and Northern Affairs. In St. Theresa Point, 218 out of 532 houses have water service and 168 have sewer connections. In Wasagamack, 91 houses out of 243 have both running water and sewer services.

Manitoba has about 260 reported cases of swine flu, including two deaths associated with the virus. Canada has reported more than 4,000 confirmed swine-flu cases, and 13 of those have been connected to deaths.

Meanwhile, a seventh Quebecer infected with the H1N1 virus has died, Quebec public health director Alain Poirier said Wednesday. The victim was a Monteregie woman in her 70s, Poirier said.

As well, hospital officials in Orangeville, Ont., east of Toronto confirmed Wednesday a 78-year-old man visiting from the United States has died of H1N1 at a health facility there.

? Copyright (c) Canwest News Service

 

[tropical]

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

#272: ~ no field hospital


Than distribute (sell them if no free) an overall tamiflu blanket to everybody in the afected zone
(or even that is "impossible", or "not contemplated" as now by the "Protect" guideliness in Aus.)

 

[blacknail]

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

In my humble opinion, the Aboriginal leadership should be using this issue to get to the root of the problems on the reserves: inadequate infrastructure and crowded housing conditions instead of pushing the treaty issues of health care. Canadians are providing more than adequate health care for aboriginals, they have better access to care than any other Canadians. As is the case with the whole Canadian population, we do a poor job of preventing disease, and the H1N1 situation is no different. Let's start with running water and adequate housing, and I know that I am going to get flamed for suggesting this, but property rights for people living on reserves would inspire a "pride of ownership" and go a long way to providing an incentive for the aboriginal people to tackle this issue on their own, without leaving it to the government and band councils which have failed to address this issue for decades.

From: http://www2.canada.com/saskatoonsta...l?id=9e42d002-c8f0-4889-9337-41271a149455&p=1

First Nations prime ground for H1N1 pandemic
Doug Cuthand, The StarPhoenix
Published: Friday, June 19, 2009

Treaty 6 chiefs in Saskatchewan and Alberta will sign an agreement this week to work together on a medicine chest task force.

The agreement comes after a traditional gathering of chiefs, elders and First Nations citizens to discuss the state of health care, with special reference to the medicine chest clause in the treaty.

The clause was inserted into Treaty 6, which covers the First Nations in central Alberta and Saskatchewan, because the chiefs present in 1876 feared the diseases that were being introduced as a result of increased European contact.

The clause stipulates that a "medicine chest be kept at the house of the Indian agent for the use and benefit of the Indians." Over the years, its meaning has been expanded and interpreted in the broader context of the spirit and intent of treaties to mean universal health care.

Medicare is a fact of life now for Canadians, but it isn't universal. There are still items such as the prescription drugs, dental and optical care that are not included.

Making health care truly universal for First Nations people has been the goal of our leaders for decades. Medical care for everyone has expanded greatly from the medical chest to modern medical care. If we are to regard our treaties as living documents, then we must see that they reflect the technology of the times. To do otherwise fossilizes our treaties and disregards their spirit and intent.

This gathering to discuss treaty issues is older than the treaties themselves. For generations our leaders and elders have gathered in the summer to discuss issues of importance across Indian Country. Information has been exchanged and policies developed at these meetings.

This year, the gathering takes place on the Moosomin First Nation and the topic under discussion is First Nations control of health care. This follows the discussions three decades ago that led to the policy of Indian control of Indian education.

Part of the discussions revolve around the threat of the H1N1 flu pandemic. This threat takes us back to the concerns expressed by our leaders more than 130 years ago. They feared the new diseases that were decimating their population and they wanted health care included under the terms of the treaty.

The H1N1 flu, otherwise known as swine flu, has been in the news for several months. However, it's slipped to the back pages even though the pandemic is steadily growing throughout the world. The World Health Organization has declared the H1N1 flu the first pandemic of the 21st century and the first one in 41 years.

In Canada, it is hitting the First Nations and Inuit communities the hardest. In Manitoba, the First Nations communities of Garden River and St. Theresa's Point have been walloped by the flu outbreak. Across the border in Ontario, the Sandy Lake First Nation has reported more than 120 people sick with the flu.

So what are the factors that are leading to a high rate of H1N1 in the aboriginal community?

Inadequate living conditions that include poor housing and overcrowding are most probably the causes of its spread. It is impossible to prevent the disease from spreading when you have three families living in a two-bedroom home, according to Chief Adam Fiddler of the Sandy Lake First Nation.

On the Garden River First Nation, for example, only half the homes have running water.

As of June 12, there were 31 people in hospital on ventilators due to the H1N1 virus. Two-thirds of them were aboriginal. As of June 13, there were 96 confirmed cases of H1N1 in Nunavut.

The flu outbreak currently is restricted to areas of northeastern Manitoba and northwestern Ontario, but we can expect to see the disease spread even more across Indian country. During the summer our people travel widely to see family and attend social events.

The fear is that the virus will travel throughout Indian country and be in full bloom when the flu season hits later this fall and winter.

Unfortunately, we have a jurisdictional issue, with the federal government holding the constitutional responsibility for "Indians and lands reserved for Indians" and the provinces holding the responsibility for health care. All too often our people fall through the cracks, with the two governments blaming one another for the failure to deliver proper services.

The flu pandemic of 1918 hit the First Nations hard. The fear is that this will be the case again. Many of our people live in Third World conditions far removed from the Canadian mainstream. Aboriginal communities are ground zero for the H1N1 flu pandemic and the federal and provincial governments must respond accordingly.

 

[Quiplash]

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

(sorry I goofed up my graph I will post again this evening)

 

[Quiplash]

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

And the province of Manitoba STILL hasn't updated their ******* website!!! This, coupled with the news that they're only going to update their statistics every week instead of daily, makes me wonder how much of the news is getting through the Manitoba Health P.R. people.

35 more cases of H1N1 flu

By PAUL TURENNE, Winnipeg Sun

Last Updated: 19th June 2009, 3:32pm

http://www.winnipegsun.com/news/manitoba/2009/06/19/9864916.html

Manitoba Health announced this afternoon that 35 more cases of H1N1 flu have been confirmed in the province, bringing the total here to 295.

Health officials suspect there are many more cases than that, but because most people who get the virus display either minimal or no symptoms, they are not necessarily diagnosed and tested for the H1N1 flu bug.

Nearly half — 145 — of the confirmed Manitoba cases have occurred in Winnipeg, while a further 82 have occurred in the Burntwood/Churchill region of northern Manitoba.

The virus has been detected in patients in every corner of the province, and has killed two people here so far.

Provincial health officials say that beginning next week, they will update the number of H1N1 cases once a week, with updates coming every Wednesday.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2009/06/19/mb-manitoba-woman-flu.html


Woman from northern Manitoba dies from flu-like illness
Last Updated: Friday, June 19, 2009 | 5:49 PM CT
CBC News

A woman flown from a remote northern Manitoba First Nation to Winnipeg earlier this month has died from a flu-like illness.

The woman was initially diagnosed with a strain of influenza A. She was tested twice for H1N1 influenza A, or swine flu, but both times the tests came back negative, said David McDougall, chief of the St. Theresa Point First Nation, which has been hit hard by the flu outbreak.

She was pregnant when she was flown to Winnipeg in the first week of June. Family members told CBC News the woman gave birth to a boy in an emergency caesarean section this week and that the baby is doing well.

But McDougall and the woman's family are wondering what kind of flu killed her. The province is investigating the death.

The reserve, about 500 kilometres from Winnipeg, has nine confirmed cases of swine flu.

Another pregnant woman who was airlifted from the community to Winnipeg this month miscarried. Her condition has since improved to serious from critical, McDougall said.

 

[Chuck]

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

A little math:

Winnepeg's population 750,000

Burntwood Regional Health Authority (includes Churchill) 45,000

Winnepeg's infection rate 145/750,000 = 1 per 5200

Burntwood's innfection rate 82/45,00 = 1 per 550

 

[Quiplash]

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

Northern Manitoba native groups co-ordinate swine flu response
Last Updated: Monday, June 22, 2009 | 9:25 AM CT
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/manitoba/story/2009/06/22/mb-fluplan.html

Critical incident managers from northern Manitoba aboriginal reserves are in Winnipeg this week to co-ordinate their response to the swine flu outbreak.

Staff from about 30 First Nations will be studying pandemic management and communication strategies. Some northern communities have been hit hard by swine flu.

Sydney Garrioch, grand chief of the northern chiefs, said northern communities need to maximize their pandemic response systems. "It's desperately needed," he said of the planning and co-ordination session. "Some communities don't have an organized system at all to work with and they have very limited resources or infrastructure in place."

The planning session starts Monday and runs until Thursday.

 

[cartski]

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

Re: Severe Flu Cases Surge in Manitoba - 26 on Ventilators Since June 7 - Aboriginal Community Hit Hard

A little math:

Winnepeg's population 750,000

Burntwood Regional Health Authority (includes Churchill) 45,000

Winnepeg's infection rate 145/750,000 = 1 per 5200

Burntwood's innfection rate 82/45,00 = 1 per 550

Winnipeg population, as compiled by the Winnipeg city administrators using Stats Canada and Conference Board figures:

http://www.winnipeg.ca/cao/pdfs/population.pdf

Use the Winnipeg CMA = census metropolitan area as all these areas a very frequent visitors to Winnipeg.