Nunavut: Cases- 4

[hornblower]

http://www.canadaeast.com/news/article/683081

Nunavut records first case of swine flu in person with pre-existing health condition
Published Friday May 29th, 2009

IQALUIT, Nunavut - Canada's North has its first confirmed case of swine flu.

Health officials in Nunavut say an individual with pre-existing medical conditions has been diagnosed with the virus.

The person was out of the territory receiving treatment for a respiratory illness when the diagnosis was made.

No identifying details are being released to protect the identity of the individual.

There have been more than 1,100 cases of the new H1N1 flu virus in Canada.

 

[Shiloh]

Re: Nunavut: Cases- 3

Re: Nunavut: Cases- 3

Source: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/north/story/2009/06/01/nunavut-flu-cases.html


New swine flu cases confirmed in N.W.T., Nunavut
New cases involve young people, N.W.T. health officer says
Last Updated: Monday, June 1, 2009 | 1:19 PM CT Comments0Recommend9
CBC News

Health officials in the Northwest Territories confirmed the territory's first case of swine flu, while Nunavut reported three new cases over the weekend.

The Nunavut cases bring the total number of H1N1 influenza infections to four in the territory. The N.W.T. had not reported any swine flu cases until now.

In the N.W.T. case, a Yellowknife youth contracted the virus but has since recovered.

In the Nunavut cases, confirmed on Saturday, the patients have been flown to Yellowknife and admitted to the pediatrics ward at Stanton Territorial Hospital.

Health officials did not identify the patients, citing privacy concerns. But all the new cases involved young people, said Dr. Kami Kandola, the N.W.T.'s acting chief medical officer.

"None of these cases have travelled outside of Canada, which goes to the shifting pattern of this H1N1 [virus]," Kandola told reporters on Monday.

"Initially, we had the history of contact with Mexico or travelling to Mexico, but what's happened now is we have so many cases in Canada in practically every jursidiction. What we're seeing now is that these cases are being transmitted locally."

Dr. Isaac Sobol, Nunavut's chief medical officer of health, said the officials are ramping up their monitoring of the flu in the territory.

"Now that we have had a few cases identified, I'd like to see a brief period of enhanced surveillance just to see if we pick up any cases which we might not otherwise find," Sobol said.

The extra surveillance will be done on patients at Nunavut hospitals and health centres.

As of Friday, Health Canada reported 1,336 lab-confirmed cases of swine flu in nine provinces, Nunavut and the Yukon. That figure does not include the new numbers from Nunavut and the N.W.T., which were reported over the weekend.

As the H1N1 influenza virus spreads, Kandola said prevention becomes more important. She urges those who have flu-like symptoms to be checked out by a doctor.

Kandola and Sobol also stressed prevention, asking people to wash their hands frequently and stay home if they are sick. They should also cover their noses and mouths when they sneeze.