The next update will be on Thursday, October 22nd, 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 October 11th, 2009
National News
“British Columbia is now well into what we might call the second wave of the H1N1 pandemic,” Dr. Perry Kendall, B.C.'s provincial health officer, announced at a news conference at the B.C. Centre for Disease Control. British Columbia has seen a significant and sudden rise in cases, registering its eighth death earlier this week as health officials grapple with a flu outbreak that is unprecedented for the province this time of year. “Compared to the rest of the country we are seeing significantly higher numbers of influenza-like illness at this time,” Kendall added. Canadian Press
Health officials have confirmed the eighth death in B.C. from swine flu. The latest victim is Ashley Miller, 26, of Mission, who died Sunday, two days after she was admitted to Abbotsford Regional Hospital. Miller's friends said she was fit and healthy before becoming ill about a week ago. One friend said her death was very sudden, mysterious, and sad. The BCCDC said 78 people in the province have been sent to hospital because of swine flu, and officials are expecting more deaths from the virus. CBC
According to the results of a recent poll, a quarter of Quebec workers and a third of male employees would forego a day of rest and head into the office even if they were diagnosed with the H1N1 flu virus. The findings of a survey conducted by Quebec's Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines also suggested that a majority of Quebec workplaces are not prepared for a potential flu pandemic and the bulk of their employees are not taking adequate precautions to ward off infection. Ordre president Florent Francoeur said the poll results expose a pattern of risky behaviour and show Quebecers do not fully appreciate the degree to which infections can spread in the workplace. Edmonton Sun
A 15-year-old boy in Timmins, Ontario, who died after contracting the H1N1 virus, had an underlying medical condition. Lynn Leggett, the manager of infectious diseases at the Porcupine Health Unit, says the condition would have contributed to his death. The swine flu-related death reported last week was the first in the northern Ontario city. A second 15-year-old boy diagnosed with the H1N1 virus continues to recover at home. Canadian Press
International News
Three handball players from China's 11th National Games have tested positive for the pandemic H1N1 virus. Anhui and Hebei handball teams were scheduled for the opening match of the event on Sunday. However, it was canceled due to the influenza. Local organizing committee vowed to prevent the outbreak of the influenza and provided H1N1 vaccines to the most vulnerable groups, including volunteers and workers related to the Games. China Daily
The U.S. Agriculture Department (USDA) has announced that the pandemic H1N1 flu virus was confirmed in a sample from a hog exhibited at the Minnesota State Fair. Additional samples are being tested. In a statement, USDA said the discovery does not suggest infection of commercial herds, grown for slaughter, because show pigs and commercial herds are separate components of the swine industry and usually are not commingled. Reuters
Antiviral News
A Food and Drug Administration (FDA) official said the agency would make a decision “fairly soon” about permitting emergency use of the experimental antiviral drug peramivir to help patients severely ill with pandemic H1N1 influenza. The FDA has been reviewing a possible emergency use authorization (EUA) for peramivir, which, like Tamiflu and Relenza is a neuraminidase inhibitor. Peramivir can be given intravenously or intramuscularly, whereas oseltamivir is taken orally and zanamivir is inhaled as a powder. CIDRAP
Vaccine News
Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq announced that Canada has shipped two million doses of swine flu vaccine to provinces and territories. The federal government is expected to approve the release of the H1N1 vaccine this week. Local health authorities will be able to start administering the vaccine once approval is granted. The two million doses all included a chemical booster known as an adjuvant. CBC
Provincial health officials are warning of a delay of up to two weeks between the general vaccine and the one designed for use by vulnerable groups such as expectant mothers. In September, federal health officials said they would have a small store of vaccine without adjuvant (an additive used to boost the vaccine’s power) available for “vulnerable groups” – specifically pregnant women – at the same time as the general vaccine. This was being done as a “precautionary measure” since there are no clinical data about the effects of adjuvant on expectant mothers. Now, senior public health officials in Ontario and British Columbia say that goal won’t be met. That would leave pregnant women in Canada with the difficult choice of opting for immediate inoculation when the general H1N1 vaccine becomes widely available in late October or early November, or wait for the vaccine that federal health authorities recommend for expectant mothers. The Globe and Mail
A local Israeli paper, Ha'aretz, has reported that the first H1N1 vaccinations have arrived in Israel and 350,000 doses are expected to be there by the end of this week. The team advising the Israeli Health Ministry on handling epidemics decided that the first vaccinations would be administered to medical staff and to chronically ill patients between the ages of 10 to 65. Some 3,000 H1N1 cases have so far been confirmed across the nation with a population of about 7 million. China View
Following a government decision to prioritize recipients of the limited vaccine supply, Japan has started vaccinating doctors and other health professionals against H1N1 swine flu . One million medical workers will be receiving the vaccine, followed by pregnant women and people with certain chronic diseases in November. The ministry official said the first batch will have enough doses to treat about 1.18 million people. Medical News
A judge on Friday morning halted enforcement of a New York State directive requiring that all health care workers be vaccinated for the seasonal flu and swine flu. The State Department of Health vowed to fight the restraining order, saying that the authorities “have clear legal authority” to require vaccinations, and noted that state courts had upheld mandatory vaccinations of health care workers against rubella and tuberculosis.The New York Times
Weekly Feature
Take an online self diagnosis test, licensed by Emory University and endorsed by the CDC, to check if you have the H1N1 flu or not: Microsoft
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