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Editor, Senior Moderator
Spread of H1N1 accelerating in B.C.
By Sam Cooper, Vancouver Province
October 4, 2009 8:02 PM
VANCOUVER ?
Swine flu is spreading faster than expected in British Columbia, say the public health officials who are waiting anxiously for a delayed vaccine.
They?re also grappling with a shocking new study from the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control that has prompted them to revise their H1N1 response.
?There is evidence H1N1 is starting to increase in B.C. earlier than was expected. It?s worrying,? Dr. John O?Neil, dean of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University, told The Vancouver Province Saturday.
It?s unclear exactly how many H1N1 cases there are in B.C. Even the disease centre doesn?t know how widespread infection is, it says.
As of Sept. 30, ?B.C. continued to experience a large increase in influenza activity,? according to the centre?s latest report. ?Confirmed and probable case counts represent a significant underestimation of the true number of H1N1 flu cases in B.C. and elsewhere in Canada.?
O?Neil said health officials are most concerned about delayed delivery of the H1N1 vaccine, which will be rolled out in Canada in November. Many countries ? Australia, China and the U.S. ? are already offering the vaccine.
O?Neil said that if H1N1 fatalities spike, it will likely be daycares, schools and First Nations reserves hit hardest, with youth aged 15 to 30, pregnant women and children under two most at risk.
But O?Neil also stressed that at this point, officials deem H1N1 only slightly more infectious or potentially fatal than seasonal flu.
Meanwhile, the unexpected findings of a controversial study have altered health-response plans across Canada.
The study, led by the B.C. centre?s Danuta Skowronski, suggests people under 50 are twice as likely to contract H1N1 if immunized to seasonal flu, compared to those who don?t get immunized. The puzzling findings haven?t been substantiated elsewhere in the world.
In light of the study, expected to be published this week after peer review, B.C. recently decided to withhold seasonal flu shots for most residents under the age of 65. Most provinces have followed B.C.?s lead.
O?Neil said he?s confident B.C.?s approach will soon be adopted around the world, but added that if swine flu rates soar in Canada, plans will be quickly adjusted.
Provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall said that delaying the seasonal flu vaccine also ?removes a number of logistical challenges that come with trying to run two full immunization programs at once.?
The seasonal flu vaccine will be offered in B.C. in early 2010. As of Sept. 28, 53 people in B.C. have been hospitalized due to swine flu, with six deaths.
Vancouver Province
http://www.canada.com/health/Spread+H1N1+accelerating/2065832/story.html
By Sam Cooper, Vancouver Province
October 4, 2009 8:02 PM
VANCOUVER ?
Swine flu is spreading faster than expected in British Columbia, say the public health officials who are waiting anxiously for a delayed vaccine.
They?re also grappling with a shocking new study from the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control that has prompted them to revise their H1N1 response.
?There is evidence H1N1 is starting to increase in B.C. earlier than was expected. It?s worrying,? Dr. John O?Neil, dean of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University, told The Vancouver Province Saturday.
It?s unclear exactly how many H1N1 cases there are in B.C. Even the disease centre doesn?t know how widespread infection is, it says.
As of Sept. 30, ?B.C. continued to experience a large increase in influenza activity,? according to the centre?s latest report. ?Confirmed and probable case counts represent a significant underestimation of the true number of H1N1 flu cases in B.C. and elsewhere in Canada.?
O?Neil said health officials are most concerned about delayed delivery of the H1N1 vaccine, which will be rolled out in Canada in November. Many countries ? Australia, China and the U.S. ? are already offering the vaccine.
O?Neil said that if H1N1 fatalities spike, it will likely be daycares, schools and First Nations reserves hit hardest, with youth aged 15 to 30, pregnant women and children under two most at risk.
But O?Neil also stressed that at this point, officials deem H1N1 only slightly more infectious or potentially fatal than seasonal flu.
Meanwhile, the unexpected findings of a controversial study have altered health-response plans across Canada.
The study, led by the B.C. centre?s Danuta Skowronski, suggests people under 50 are twice as likely to contract H1N1 if immunized to seasonal flu, compared to those who don?t get immunized. The puzzling findings haven?t been substantiated elsewhere in the world.
In light of the study, expected to be published this week after peer review, B.C. recently decided to withhold seasonal flu shots for most residents under the age of 65. Most provinces have followed B.C.?s lead.
O?Neil said he?s confident B.C.?s approach will soon be adopted around the world, but added that if swine flu rates soar in Canada, plans will be quickly adjusted.
Provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall said that delaying the seasonal flu vaccine also ?removes a number of logistical challenges that come with trying to run two full immunization programs at once.?
The seasonal flu vaccine will be offered in B.C. in early 2010. As of Sept. 28, 53 people in B.C. have been hospitalized due to swine flu, with six deaths.
Vancouver Province
http://www.canada.com/health/Spread+H1N1+accelerating/2065832/story.html
