The next update will be on Tuesday, October 13th, at 0830 hrs 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 27th September, 2009
Local/National News
Leona Aglukkaq, Federal Health Minister, was challenged in the House of Commons to explain why Canada's vaccine won't be ready until November when some other countries have already started immunization programs. She was also sent an open letter by the Liberal party outlining a number of actions it wants the government to take. Chief Public Health Officer Dr. David Butler-Jones has previously said that Canada's vaccine timeline was partly determined by the decision to complete production of the seasonal flu vaccine before starting the H1N1 vaccine. “We are not delaying the vaccine. The vaccine will be widely available to all Canadians during the first week of November,” confirmed Aglukkaq. Canada.com
A new scientific study has found that receiving the seasonal flu shot may help boost immunity against swine flu, contrary to the widely publicized study which concluded that the seasonal flu shot increased susceptibility to the H1N1 virus, causing most Canadian provinces to postpone seasonal flu vaccination campaigns. The study found that people with laboratory-confirmed swine flu at a hospital in Mexico City were less likely to have received the flu shot in the previous winter compared with patients with other diseases. David Jensen, spokesman for Ontario's Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, said the province is not reconsidering its vaccination campaign as a result of the Mexican data. He said the Canadian study was not the only reason behind the ministry delaying the seasonal flu vaccine for certain groups. The H1N1 strain is expected to be the main strain circulating this fall, and staggering vaccination programs would provide less of a logistical challenge this season, he added. Globe and Mail
International News
The Government of Mexico hosted a meeting with senior officials from Canada and the United States as part of ongoing North American efforts to address the challenges posed by the pandemic H1N1 virus. The objectives of the meeting were for the three countries to take stock of efforts to date, and to continue sharing lessons learned and strategies to further prepare for a second wave of the virus. The Mexican delegation was led by Mauricio Hernandez, Deputy Secretary of Health Prevention and Promotion of the Ministry of Health. The United States was represented by Deputy Secretary of Homeland Security Jane Holl Lute, and Dr. Gerald Parker, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response of Health and Human Services. Canada was represented by the Deputy Minister of Health Morris Rosenberg and the Associate Deputy Minister of Public Safety Myles Kirvan. PHAC
The Chinese Health Ministry has reported that a woman in the Tibetan capital of Lhasa has become China's first swine flu fatality. It gave no other details but the Xinhua News Agency said the patient was an 18-year-old woman who died at a hospital in Maizhokunggar County, part of Lhasa. China's mainland had 21,453 confirmed cases of H1N1 flu. About 78.7 per cent of the patients have recovered. CTV
The Brazilian government will allocate $1.18 billion for the purchase of vaccine and diagnostic material against swine flu that has so far caused the deaths of 899 people in this country. The vaccine, diagnostic material and other equipment will be purchased during the coming months in order to have “redoubled protection” before next winter in the Southern Hemisphere, when another wave of the flu is expected. The Butantan Institute, a laboratory belonging to the Sao Paulo state government, is working on the production of a vaccine against the new virus and estimates that by the beginning of next year it will have stockpiled some 18 million doses. Health News
Tunisians will not be allowed to travel to Saudi Arabia for the Muslim pilgrimage or Haj because of fears of the H1N1 virus. No other country has yet said it would prevent its citizens from making the pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia in late November. Tunisia and Iran barred their citizens from making the Umrah pilgrimage this year because of fears of the virus. But whereas the Umrah pilgrimage is optional, every Muslim who is able must make the Hajj once in their lifetime. Health News
Vaccine News
Children in several states in the US, including New York, recently received nasal spray vaccines with shots due to begin next week. Dr. Thomas A. Farley, New York City’s new health commissioner, said he expected a vaccine shortage until the end of the month, when a batch of 1.2 million is scheduled to arrive. Public school officials hope to begin giving vaccines in elementary schools at the end of the month and will send consent forms to parents. Middle and high school students will be offered shots on weekends. New York Times
Dr. Thomas R. Frieden, director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, sought to dispel common misperceptions that this flu should ever be called a “mild disease,” that the vaccine is untested and that it has arrived too late. Even in areas of the U.S. where the swine flu virus is widespread, about five to 10 per cent of the population has been affected, meaning 90 to 95 per cent are still susceptible. "The flu vaccine is our best weapon against the flu," Frieden said, noting that adverse reactions will be carefully tracked. CBC
Despite pressure to speed up the start of the program, Canada’s chief public health officer continued to insist that the projected start date of the Canadian H1N1 vaccination program is still early November. This date will allow Health Canada to follow the regulatory process it set out for approving the pandemic vaccine, Dr. David Butler-Jones said. Dr. Perry Kendall, British Columbia's chief medical officer of health, said provinces and territories would need at least a week or two of notice to get clinics organized and staffed if the start date is going to change.
CTV
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