GMS Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 Update as of September 3, 2009
(0830 HRS PST)
The next update will be on Tuesday September 8th, at 08:30 PST.
The WHO Pandemic Alert level remains at Phase 6
Influenza A (H1N1) Cases and Deaths
*Cases reported by The World Health Organization (WHO) are as of August 23, 2009Local/National News
Swine flu hit First Nations in Manitoba especially hard in the spring and leaders are upset they had to ask to be invited to an international conference in Winnipeg. Medical experts from across Canada and around the world have gathered in Winnipeg on Wednesday and Thursday for a conference on preparation for the resurgence of H1N1 in the fall. " Decisions are being made behind closed doors, without First Nations input," said David Harper, chief of the Garden Hill First Nation, one of the Manitoba communities that struggled with severe cases of H1N1. CBC
First Nations communities will be a high priority when Ottawa decides who will be the first to receive the swine flu vaccine this fall. At a news conference in Victoria focusing on First Nations health, a B.C. aboriginal leader suggested native communities — many of which were hit particularly hard by the virus last spring — should be among the first in line when the vaccine is ready. Canada's chief public health officer, Dr. David Butler-Jones, has previously said health care providers and pregnant women will likely among the first to receive the vaccine. CBC
International News
The United States is unprepared to handle the potential spike in people needing mechanical ventilation due to infection with H1N1 swine influenza, warn researchers in the online open-access journal PLoS Currents: Influenza. "We calculate that 46 million people will contract the infection, resulting in 2.7 million hospitalizations, 331,587 episodes of acute respiratory failure requiring mechanical ventilation, and nearly 200,000 deaths," write Dr. Marya D. Zilberberg, a health services researcher in Leeds, Massachusetts, and colleagues. Based on these estimates, the US may require the ability to provide mechanical ventilation at a volume between 23% and 45% over the current annual use.Medscape
President Barack Obama warned that a larger wave of novel H1N1 influenza is likely this fall and called on all Americans to prepare for it. Obama said the government is "making steady progress on developing a safe and effective H1N1 flu vaccine, and we expect a flu shot program will begin soon." Obama's statement came after the Presidential Council of Advisors on Science and Technology estimated that the novel virus could infect 30% to 50% of the population and cause between 30,000 and 90,000 deaths. CIDRAP
Swine flu is spreading more quickly in the U.S. Southeast, where schools started back earlier than in other areas after the summer break. The pandemic H1N1 influenza virus has been active since March but officials have seen a clear "uptick" in activity in some areas in recent weeks. Health experts say school age children and young adults are more likely than others to be infected with H1N1, and have said they expected the pandemic to become more active as schools started back and children mixed with one another. Reuters
A new iPhone application, created by researchers at Children's Hospital Boston in collaboration with the MIT Media Lab, enables users to track and report outbreaks of infectious diseases, such as H1N1 (swine flu), on the ground in real time. The application, "Outbreaks Near Me," builds upon the mission and proven capability of HealthMap, an online resource that collects, filters, maps and disseminates information about emerging infectious diseases, and provides a new, contextualized view of a user's specific location – pinpointing outbreaks that have been reported in the vicinity of the user and offering the opportunity to search for additional outbreak information by location or disease. EurekAlert
Vaccine News
The United States’ largest school district said it will offer free swine flu vaccinations to its 1 million-plus schoolchildren as New York City takes bold steps to avoid becoming the country's flu epicenter again in the fall. Hundreds of school districts nationwide have agreed to allow vaccinations in school buildings, once the vaccine becomes available in mid- to late October as the nation prepares for a spike in swine flu cases in the coming months.Yahoo News
The federal government is putting up an extra $2.7 million to test a vaccine meant to combat the next wave of H1N1 flu cases this fall. Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq said the funding is on top of $10.8 million the government poured into swine flu research this summer. The cash will help fast-track the approval process for the vaccine. CTV
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