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Swine Flu cases swamp B.C. Hospitals as ninth fatality confirmed
By Salim Jiwa.
B.C. has been hit by a wave of Swine Flu hospitalizations with 33 admissions in one week, the highest since the start of the pandemic. Six people are in intensive care. B.C. confirms a ninth fatality. Children's Hospital seeing 50 to 60 kids per day.
VICTORIA, B.C. ? A ninth Swine Flu fatality has been confirmed in British Columbia by the ministry of health and hospitals are already getting their highest wave of admissions since the beginning of the pandemic.
At B.C. Children's Hospital in Vancouver, 50 to 60 patients are coming in to the emergency department per day complaining of influenza like illness, ILI, assumed to be Swine Flu in most cases, according Dr. Niranjan Kissoon, the hospital's Senior Medical Director of Acute and Critical Care.
"It is higher than we expected at this time of the year, I'd say it is 20 per cent higher, " said Kissoon in an interview. "We are going with the diagnosis of influenza like illness, there is no point in further testing unless they are sick enough to be admitted."
"In terms of numbers we have 50 to 60 coming in (to emergency). We have contingency plans so extra staff are in that area," he said. "We don't want to mix them with others - the thing we have to worry about is cross infection."
Children with flu like illness are treated in a separate room to prevent the spread of the virus. Children with underlying disease are treated with medications including Tamiflu he said.
Across B.C. 33 people have been hospitalized in several regions but mostly in the Vancouver area and the Fraser Health Region, the B.C. Centres for Disease Control (BCCDC) said.
This is the highest number of people hospitalized in a week?s time frame but the numbers have been growing for the past four weeks. Six of those 33 have been admitted to ICU.
"We are in the second wave of flu so we're seeing an increased number of severe cases and hospitalizations," said Ritinder Harry, a spokeswoman for BCCDC. "33 have been hospitalized in the last week and six have been admitted to ICU."
"Up to now we've had nine people dead, eight of them had underlying conditions and one case did not have underlying conditions," she said about the rising fatality rate seen in the past four weeks.
Harry said complications of flu, even during seasonal flu, are more likely with people with underlying medical conditions. However, the demographics of people affected by Swine Flu are different with younger people being hit the hardest.
Hospital emergency rooms are now full of sick people and doctors are reporting a wave of patients coming in with flu like illness believed to be Swine Flu.
Medical Services Plan billings show a historic peak for claims by doctors treating patients for influenza like illness, according to bulletins issued by BCCDC.
Almost 200,000 shots of Swine Flu vaccine are still sitting in storage at the BCCDC because the federal government has not approved its distribution.
Harry said she could not provide a precise timetable for federal approval but anticipates getting the go-ahead by early November.
Pharmacist Tan Ha, at the Peoples Drug Mart located at Champlain Mall in Vancouver, said he has seen an increase in prescriptions for Tamiflu.
"We've had an increase in prescriptions for children and adults," Ha said. "One year ago getting a prescription for Tamiflu would have been very rare."
He said pharmacies have large stocks of Tamiflu available. The government has distributed free supplies of Tamiflu to pharmacies and all people need to get the anti-viral medications is a prescription with Tamiflu being given away for free.
Several school within the jurisdiction the Vancouver School Board are reporting absenteeism rates of up to 16 per cent, according to Vancouver School Board chairwoman Patti Bacchus.
She said several elementary schools have reported absenteeism rates of up to 15 per cent and medical authorities have been informed of the outbreaks of flu like illness. Vancouver Technical Secondary School has reported that 16 per cent of its students are sick at home.
She said the advice from medical officials is to keep schools open despite the outbreaks.
* Since Oct. 13, there have been 33 new severe cases of H1N1 identified in B.C. ? thirteen in Fraser Health, twelve in Vancouver Coastal Health, six in Interior Health and two on Vancouver Island ? with two new deaths, both in Fraser Health,? said the ministry of health in a bulletin issued at noon on Tuesday.
* Since Oct. 13, there have been 33 new severe cases of H1N1 identified in B.C., with two new deaths.
In total, BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) has confirmed 111 severe H1N1 cases in British Columbia since April 2009. This total is for the period from April to October 20. The 33 persons admitted this week represent almost a third of all hospitalizations.
Surveillance data released by the BCCDC shows that of the 111 hospitalized since the start of the pandemic in April, 9 were aged under the age of two years, 25 were aged 2 to 19 years, 41 were aged between 20 and 39, 30 patients were 40 to 64 years of age while those over 64 accounted for five admissions.
Of those admitted, 54 had pneumonia, 30 were admitted to ICU, 21 were on ventilators and 62 required oxygen.
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/280774
By Salim Jiwa.
B.C. has been hit by a wave of Swine Flu hospitalizations with 33 admissions in one week, the highest since the start of the pandemic. Six people are in intensive care. B.C. confirms a ninth fatality. Children's Hospital seeing 50 to 60 kids per day.
VICTORIA, B.C. ? A ninth Swine Flu fatality has been confirmed in British Columbia by the ministry of health and hospitals are already getting their highest wave of admissions since the beginning of the pandemic.
At B.C. Children's Hospital in Vancouver, 50 to 60 patients are coming in to the emergency department per day complaining of influenza like illness, ILI, assumed to be Swine Flu in most cases, according Dr. Niranjan Kissoon, the hospital's Senior Medical Director of Acute and Critical Care.
"It is higher than we expected at this time of the year, I'd say it is 20 per cent higher, " said Kissoon in an interview. "We are going with the diagnosis of influenza like illness, there is no point in further testing unless they are sick enough to be admitted."
"In terms of numbers we have 50 to 60 coming in (to emergency). We have contingency plans so extra staff are in that area," he said. "We don't want to mix them with others - the thing we have to worry about is cross infection."
Children with flu like illness are treated in a separate room to prevent the spread of the virus. Children with underlying disease are treated with medications including Tamiflu he said.
Across B.C. 33 people have been hospitalized in several regions but mostly in the Vancouver area and the Fraser Health Region, the B.C. Centres for Disease Control (BCCDC) said.
This is the highest number of people hospitalized in a week?s time frame but the numbers have been growing for the past four weeks. Six of those 33 have been admitted to ICU.
"We are in the second wave of flu so we're seeing an increased number of severe cases and hospitalizations," said Ritinder Harry, a spokeswoman for BCCDC. "33 have been hospitalized in the last week and six have been admitted to ICU."
"Up to now we've had nine people dead, eight of them had underlying conditions and one case did not have underlying conditions," she said about the rising fatality rate seen in the past four weeks.
Harry said complications of flu, even during seasonal flu, are more likely with people with underlying medical conditions. However, the demographics of people affected by Swine Flu are different with younger people being hit the hardest.
Hospital emergency rooms are now full of sick people and doctors are reporting a wave of patients coming in with flu like illness believed to be Swine Flu.
Medical Services Plan billings show a historic peak for claims by doctors treating patients for influenza like illness, according to bulletins issued by BCCDC.
Almost 200,000 shots of Swine Flu vaccine are still sitting in storage at the BCCDC because the federal government has not approved its distribution.
Harry said she could not provide a precise timetable for federal approval but anticipates getting the go-ahead by early November.
Pharmacist Tan Ha, at the Peoples Drug Mart located at Champlain Mall in Vancouver, said he has seen an increase in prescriptions for Tamiflu.
"We've had an increase in prescriptions for children and adults," Ha said. "One year ago getting a prescription for Tamiflu would have been very rare."
He said pharmacies have large stocks of Tamiflu available. The government has distributed free supplies of Tamiflu to pharmacies and all people need to get the anti-viral medications is a prescription with Tamiflu being given away for free.
Several school within the jurisdiction the Vancouver School Board are reporting absenteeism rates of up to 16 per cent, according to Vancouver School Board chairwoman Patti Bacchus.
She said several elementary schools have reported absenteeism rates of up to 15 per cent and medical authorities have been informed of the outbreaks of flu like illness. Vancouver Technical Secondary School has reported that 16 per cent of its students are sick at home.
She said the advice from medical officials is to keep schools open despite the outbreaks.
* Since Oct. 13, there have been 33 new severe cases of H1N1 identified in B.C. ? thirteen in Fraser Health, twelve in Vancouver Coastal Health, six in Interior Health and two on Vancouver Island ? with two new deaths, both in Fraser Health,? said the ministry of health in a bulletin issued at noon on Tuesday.
* Since Oct. 13, there have been 33 new severe cases of H1N1 identified in B.C., with two new deaths.
In total, BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) has confirmed 111 severe H1N1 cases in British Columbia since April 2009. This total is for the period from April to October 20. The 33 persons admitted this week represent almost a third of all hospitalizations.
Surveillance data released by the BCCDC shows that of the 111 hospitalized since the start of the pandemic in April, 9 were aged under the age of two years, 25 were aged 2 to 19 years, 41 were aged between 20 and 39, 30 patients were 40 to 64 years of age while those over 64 accounted for five admissions.
Of those admitted, 54 had pneumonia, 30 were admitted to ICU, 21 were on ventilators and 62 required oxygen.
http://www.digitaljournal.com/article/280774