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Source: http://www.canada.com/health/Ontario+looks+link+swine+complications+obesity/1855043/story.html
Ontario looks to link swine flu complications and obesity
By Lee Greenberg, Canwest News ServiceAugust 2, 2009
TORONTO ? Ontario is looking at the possibility that morbidly obese people who contract the H1N1 virus are more likely to suffer serious complications or death, says the province?s top public-health official.
Dr. Arlene King said scientists studying the patterns of transmission of the swine flu virus have identified morbidly obese citizens as a group that might be put atop a priority distribution list for antiviral medication.
Ontario and a number of other provinces have plans to begin a dedicated vaccination program targeting H1N1 this fall.
Last week, U.S. health officials revealed a priority list that recommended which people should be given the swine flu vaccine first, with pregnant woman topping the list; Canadian officials said they are holding off finalizing any similar list until at least September.
Initial data puts obese people on par with pregnant women, people living in remote northern communities, infants and people with pre-existing chronic conditions as groups particularly susceptible to the new strain of influenza.
King, Ontario?s chief medical officer of health, said officials are treating the new link between obesity and H1N1 as ?an emerging hypothesis? based on data coming out of the province?s intensive-care units.
?I would say we would call this emerging information that needs to be better studied at this time,? she said, adding morbid obesity ?isn?t classically listed as a risk factor for complications from the flu.?
More than 10,000 Canada have contracted swine flu since it began to spread around the world in April, and a total of 59 Canadians have died since. The virus resulted in mild symptoms for the vast majority of Canadians who contracted it, but can cause severe acute respiratory distress.
King did not offer province-specific data to support the theory, but U.S. researchers gave the first glimpse into the possible link in July.
A study looked at 10 severely ill flu patients at a Michigan hospital who had to be put on ventilators. Nine of the 10 were obese, including seven considered severely obese. Three of the patients died.
?What this study suggests is there can be complications associated with this virus infection, especially in severely obese patients,? said Dr. Tim Uyeki, a virus expert with the U.S. Center for Disease Control.
Provincial orders for the Tamiflu vaccine were due Friday but King wouldn?t reveal how many doses Ontario is seeking from the drug?s Canadian manufacturer. By choice, fewer than half of Ontarians get an annual shot to protect against regular seasonal flu.
Ottawa Citizen
Ontario looks to link swine flu complications and obesity
By Lee Greenberg, Canwest News ServiceAugust 2, 2009
TORONTO ? Ontario is looking at the possibility that morbidly obese people who contract the H1N1 virus are more likely to suffer serious complications or death, says the province?s top public-health official.
Dr. Arlene King said scientists studying the patterns of transmission of the swine flu virus have identified morbidly obese citizens as a group that might be put atop a priority distribution list for antiviral medication.
Ontario and a number of other provinces have plans to begin a dedicated vaccination program targeting H1N1 this fall.
Last week, U.S. health officials revealed a priority list that recommended which people should be given the swine flu vaccine first, with pregnant woman topping the list; Canadian officials said they are holding off finalizing any similar list until at least September.
Initial data puts obese people on par with pregnant women, people living in remote northern communities, infants and people with pre-existing chronic conditions as groups particularly susceptible to the new strain of influenza.
King, Ontario?s chief medical officer of health, said officials are treating the new link between obesity and H1N1 as ?an emerging hypothesis? based on data coming out of the province?s intensive-care units.
?I would say we would call this emerging information that needs to be better studied at this time,? she said, adding morbid obesity ?isn?t classically listed as a risk factor for complications from the flu.?
More than 10,000 Canada have contracted swine flu since it began to spread around the world in April, and a total of 59 Canadians have died since. The virus resulted in mild symptoms for the vast majority of Canadians who contracted it, but can cause severe acute respiratory distress.
King did not offer province-specific data to support the theory, but U.S. researchers gave the first glimpse into the possible link in July.
A study looked at 10 severely ill flu patients at a Michigan hospital who had to be put on ventilators. Nine of the 10 were obese, including seven considered severely obese. Three of the patients died.
?What this study suggests is there can be complications associated with this virus infection, especially in severely obese patients,? said Dr. Tim Uyeki, a virus expert with the U.S. Center for Disease Control.
Provincial orders for the Tamiflu vaccine were due Friday but King wouldn?t reveal how many doses Ontario is seeking from the drug?s Canadian manufacturer. By choice, fewer than half of Ontarians get an annual shot to protect against regular seasonal flu.
Ottawa Citizen