Pathfinder
Editor, Senior Moderator
Toronto students dodging swine flu
No significant increase in public school cases but trustee concerned by lack of notification from city
By DON PEAT, SUN MEDIA
The Toronto Sun
TORONTO -- This little piggy flu pandemic hasn't come to Toronto public schools this fall.
A month into the school year, Toronto District School Board officials say the H1N1 virus, popularly known as swine flu, isn't keeping more students home sick so far this school year.
Health officials had warned the swine flu's second wave would hit schools hard when classes started in September. But a report to the TDSB's health committee says no significant increase in overall absenteeism has been noted across Canada's largest school board.
Toronto Public Health asked the TDSB to track absenteeism rates in elementary schools and have asked schools to contact them if they see an uncharacteristic spike in student sick days due to flu-like symptoms.
In the wake of the report, Trustee Josh Matlow said yesterday he still has "serious concerns" that public health stopped telling the board when a confirmed case of swine flu turned up in a student at a school. Last June, public health stopped the updates, saying H1N1 is more often spread outside the school setting.
At the time, a public health spokesman said H1N1 virus is no more common than any seasonal influenza and is now being treated the same way.
"I'm of the belief that it's a resource issue by Toronto Public Health," Matlow said.
The St. Paul's trustee said parents deserve as much factual information as possible about H1N1 and the agency should reconsider the decision.
"There is no other institution in Toronto that has more young people congregated in its facilities than the TDSB," he said. "If they need the resources they should have a discussion about how to find them."
A Canadian study of H1N1 released yesterday found a disproportionately high percentage -- 67.3% -- of the severely ill cases were women. The virus is especially tough on pregnant women, but pregnancy doesn't account for all of the excess in women.
The study was one of two that looked at outcomes of H1N1 patients admitted to intensive care units in Canada and Mexico.
The studies suggest developing countries with limited access to advanced health-care facilities may be in for a rough ride with swine flu, and even countries with hi-tech ICUs may find themselves pushed to the limit as their hospitals struggle to save gravely ill H1N1 patients.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2009/10/13/11382431-sun.html?cid=rssnews
No significant increase in public school cases but trustee concerned by lack of notification from city
By DON PEAT, SUN MEDIA
The Toronto Sun
TORONTO -- This little piggy flu pandemic hasn't come to Toronto public schools this fall.
A month into the school year, Toronto District School Board officials say the H1N1 virus, popularly known as swine flu, isn't keeping more students home sick so far this school year.
Health officials had warned the swine flu's second wave would hit schools hard when classes started in September. But a report to the TDSB's health committee says no significant increase in overall absenteeism has been noted across Canada's largest school board.
Toronto Public Health asked the TDSB to track absenteeism rates in elementary schools and have asked schools to contact them if they see an uncharacteristic spike in student sick days due to flu-like symptoms.
In the wake of the report, Trustee Josh Matlow said yesterday he still has "serious concerns" that public health stopped telling the board when a confirmed case of swine flu turned up in a student at a school. Last June, public health stopped the updates, saying H1N1 is more often spread outside the school setting.
At the time, a public health spokesman said H1N1 virus is no more common than any seasonal influenza and is now being treated the same way.
"I'm of the belief that it's a resource issue by Toronto Public Health," Matlow said.
The St. Paul's trustee said parents deserve as much factual information as possible about H1N1 and the agency should reconsider the decision.
"There is no other institution in Toronto that has more young people congregated in its facilities than the TDSB," he said. "If they need the resources they should have a discussion about how to find them."
A Canadian study of H1N1 released yesterday found a disproportionately high percentage -- 67.3% -- of the severely ill cases were women. The virus is especially tough on pregnant women, but pregnancy doesn't account for all of the excess in women.
The study was one of two that looked at outcomes of H1N1 patients admitted to intensive care units in Canada and Mexico.
The studies suggest developing countries with limited access to advanced health-care facilities may be in for a rough ride with swine flu, and even countries with hi-tech ICUs may find themselves pushed to the limit as their hospitals struggle to save gravely ill H1N1 patients.
http://cnews.canoe.ca/CNEWS/Canada/2009/10/13/11382431-sun.html?cid=rssnews