(0830 HRS PST)
The next update will be on Wednesday, June 17, at 08:30 PST
The WHO Pandemic Alert level remains at Phase 6
Influenza A (H1N1) Cases and Deaths by Country (as of 8 AM PST, June 12th)
*This case map has been provided by the WHO’s Influenza A (H1N1) - Update #48.
- On Monday, the World Health Organization released its latest case count for novel H1N1 influenza worldwide: 35,298 cases and 163 deaths in 76 countries, up 5,834 cases and 18 deaths from Friday's numbers (above). Countries reporting the greatest increase in laboratory-confirmed cases since yesterday were the United States (4,638), United Kingdom (404), Australia (221), China (100), Germany (75), and Japan (56). WHO
Local/National News
- On June 15th, the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) announced that the number of confirmed cases of influenza A (H1N1) since June 12th has risen to 4049 from 2978. Ontario has the most cases in Canada (1907), followed by Quebec (971), Saskatchewan (327), Alberta (264), British Columbia (172), Nunavut (164), Manitoba (154), Nova Scotia (81), PEI (3), New Brunswick (2), Northwest Territories (2), Newfoundland (1) and the Yukon (1). Of the Canadian cases thus far, 212 required hospitalization and seven deaths have occurred. PHAC
- The novel H1N1 virus has been detected in another of Canada's First Nations communities, in Sandy Lake, Ontario. Ten cases have been confirmed in the community so far among 120 people who were treated recently for flu-like symptoms. About 10 people have been airlifted to hospitals, and residents have been asked to avoid large gatherings to control the spread of the virus. CNS
- Tests have now shown that the carpenter who was suspected to have spread the novel H1N1 virus to pigs in Alberta was never infected. Howard May of Alberta Health and Wellness said that someone else must have passed the virus to the pigs, but authorities may never find out who it was. The carpenter had just returned from Mexico when he did some work at the farm on Apr 14. The infection was confirmed in the pigs in early May. CP report
- The BC Centre for Disease Control has confirmed 178 cases of H1N1 flu in the province, including:
- 67 in Fraser Health
- 5 in Interior Health
- 30 in Northern Health
- 50 in Vancouver Coastal Health
- 20 on Vancouver Island
International News
- Thailand is reporting a spike in its novel H1N1 cases, as the total grew by 51 today to 201 confirmed infections. Health Secretary Prat Boonyavongvirot said 38 of the new cases are in students and that the number is likely to rise, especially in schools and factories. AP
- Fears of contracting the H1N1 flu virus have emptied the beaches, restaurants and nightclubs of Mexico's main tourist destinations, hobbling a key industry just as a severe recession is gripping the country. Tourism Minister Rodolfo Elizondo says it could take until December for the flow of foreign tourists to recover, wiping out the key summer season when millions of Americans and Europeans traditionally escape to Mexican beaches. Reuters
- The US FDA’s campaign against phony H1N1 flu treatments hawked on the internet appears to have been successful. In the six weeks since the campaign began, nearly three-quarters of sites have been pulled down sites or removed illegal claims. Furthermore, "At the beginning, we were seeing as many as 10 new web sites a day" selling fraudulent products, said Alyson Saben, deputy director of FDA's office of enforcement. "Over the last two weeks or so, we're seeing about two new web sites a week." AP
- Yesterday, the White House circulated a letter addressed to every public school superintendent in the country that outlines ways to cope with the stronger strain of the H1N1 virus that many public health experts predict will hit the U.S. this fall. The letter urges local officials to use the summer break to develop effective policies for hand washing, food service, sending kids home, and other steps, should they become necessary. Washington Post
Today’s Key Question
Are antiviral medications designed to fight influenza safe for pregnant and breastfeeding women?
It is well-known that pregnant women are at a higher-than-normal risk of developing complications from seasonal influenza, and, evidence from past pandemic suggests that pregnant women are disproportionately affected by pandemic influenza strains as well. Furthermore, in their statement last week, the World Health Organization stated that “without question, pregnant women are at increased risk of complications” from the novel H1N1 influenza virus.
Tamiflu (oseltamivir) and Relenza (zanamivir) are two antiviral drugs belonging to a class of medications known as neuraminidase inhibitors and according to available data, and Influenza A (H1N1) is susceptible to both. Yet, there are reports that pregnant women are refusing to take either drug due to fears of harm to the fetus. However, a literature review, published recently in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, suggests that both drugs can be used if an H1N1 infection is suspected.
The authors of the review, from the Motherisk Program at Sick Kids and the Japan Drug Information Institute in Pregnancy, examined the available data on antiviral drug use in pregnant and breastfeeding women. They suggest that Tamiflu is probably the better choice for treatment/prevention of H1N1 flu in pregnant women because there is more safety data on its use in pregnancy. But they say for women who are breastfeeding, either drug could be used because only small amounts are excreted in breast milk. The paper, also asserts that neither drug appears to affect the growth or development of fetuses exposed to them in the womb. The Canadian Press, MedPage Today, and the Edmonton Sun.
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