More H1N1 Reports, More Health Problems
Published Date: 2009/11/3 19:00:00
Article ID : 7358
Version 1.00
By The Canadian Press
VICTORIA ? The H1N1 flu is starting to show its strain on the British Columbia health care system, as the province records more flu deaths, more hospitalizations, more school closures and even more absentee hospital workers.
Health officials say three more British Columbians have died in the past week because of H1N1, raising the total number of lab-confirmed deaths to 15. Another 162 people have been hospitalized because of the flu in the last seven days.
B.C. medical health officer Dr. Perry Kendall told reporters Tuesday that while the numbers may be alarming to some, they are not unexpected.
?I know the numbers that are being released can be intimidating and concerning,? Kendall said. ?But I should state that this is what we've been expecting and preparing for. This pandemic is still considered to be of moderate severity.?
Kitimat, in northwest B.C., has closed down all five of its schools until the end of the week because of a 40 per cent and higher flu absentee rate.
And Kendall said the flu is making inroads in hospital emergency rooms where health officials are starting to see increased absenteeism in hospital staff.
?It hasn't currently reached the point where people have had to close down wards or shut operations, with some exceptions,? said Kendall.
He said those hospitals have shut down ambulatory clinics, where people have minor surgery, and the resources have been moved to the emergency room.
Past union disputes have shown that hospitals have the capacity to go down to essential service levels for two to three weeks, Kendall pointed out.
He said in two of the three most recent deaths, the deceased had underlying medical conditions.
The majority of those being admitted to hospital are very young children under two.
?Partly I think because people don't want to risk very young people being ill outside of a health-care facility,? Kendall said.
Those severely ill with the flu tend to be on ventilators for two to three weeks, and Kendall said the province has ordered another 25 ventilators. He said the province also has the option of asking for some of the federal government's stockpile of 500 ventilators if necessary.
Health officials hope to have 800-thousand people, or about 20 per cent of the population, vaccinated by the end of next week.
In a normal flu season there are 200 to 800 deaths, and Kendall said indications from Australia and New Zealand show the H1N1 flu will be far less deadly.
?I would guess that we would see under 50 deaths in B.C.?
http://www.westcoaster.ca/modules/AMS/article.php?storyid=7358
Published Date: 2009/11/3 19:00:00
Article ID : 7358
Version 1.00
By The Canadian Press
VICTORIA ? The H1N1 flu is starting to show its strain on the British Columbia health care system, as the province records more flu deaths, more hospitalizations, more school closures and even more absentee hospital workers.
Health officials say three more British Columbians have died in the past week because of H1N1, raising the total number of lab-confirmed deaths to 15. Another 162 people have been hospitalized because of the flu in the last seven days.
B.C. medical health officer Dr. Perry Kendall told reporters Tuesday that while the numbers may be alarming to some, they are not unexpected.
?I know the numbers that are being released can be intimidating and concerning,? Kendall said. ?But I should state that this is what we've been expecting and preparing for. This pandemic is still considered to be of moderate severity.?
Kitimat, in northwest B.C., has closed down all five of its schools until the end of the week because of a 40 per cent and higher flu absentee rate.
And Kendall said the flu is making inroads in hospital emergency rooms where health officials are starting to see increased absenteeism in hospital staff.
?It hasn't currently reached the point where people have had to close down wards or shut operations, with some exceptions,? said Kendall.
He said those hospitals have shut down ambulatory clinics, where people have minor surgery, and the resources have been moved to the emergency room.
Past union disputes have shown that hospitals have the capacity to go down to essential service levels for two to three weeks, Kendall pointed out.
He said in two of the three most recent deaths, the deceased had underlying medical conditions.
The majority of those being admitted to hospital are very young children under two.
?Partly I think because people don't want to risk very young people being ill outside of a health-care facility,? Kendall said.
Those severely ill with the flu tend to be on ventilators for two to three weeks, and Kendall said the province has ordered another 25 ventilators. He said the province also has the option of asking for some of the federal government's stockpile of 500 ventilators if necessary.
Health officials hope to have 800-thousand people, or about 20 per cent of the population, vaccinated by the end of next week.
In a normal flu season there are 200 to 800 deaths, and Kendall said indications from Australia and New Zealand show the H1N1 flu will be far less deadly.
?I would guess that we would see under 50 deaths in B.C.?
http://www.westcoaster.ca/modules/AMS/article.php?storyid=7358
