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 November 8th, 2009
Vaccine News
A number of groups in British Columbia are now eligible for the vaccine, including firefighters, people 65 and older with chronic health conditions, healthy children from five to 18 years old, and health care workers delivering acute care, long-term care, home care, and public health services. Vancouver Sun
Children younger than 10, seniors and anyone with compromised immune systems, who are not eligible for the unadjuvanted vaccine, will not be able to get the H1N1 vaccine in Winnipeg on November 16th as vaccine shipments were delayed. Winnipeg Sun
Alberta will be offering H1N1 flu vaccine to the general public later this week, with a gradual introduction to avoid the hours-long lineups that arose early in the mass immunization campaign. Seniors will be the first group phased into the program. CBC
10 H1N1 vaccination clinics in Toronto, Ontario will now be open seven days a week, starting Monday. Children from six-months of age to 13 years old and those with a chronic health condition, as well as those over the age of 65, are now included in the high-priority group. 680 News
Dr. Robert Strang, the chief public officer of health for Nova Scotia, has announced that pregnant women and people between the ages of 10 and 64 with a chronic illness who are otherwise healthy will now be able to get injected with the unadjuvanted vaccine. Chronicle Herald
Public health authorities in Quebec opened new vaccination centres on November 16th, including a mega-clinic at the Palais des Congrès in Montreal, to keep up with demand for inoculation. The Palais des Congrès clinic has the ability to vaccinate up to 300 people per hour according to Montreal's Public Health Agency. CBC
The Public Health Agency of Canada announced it is changing its recommendation for healthy children aged three to nine, saying they probably do not need a second shot of the vaccine to be protected. The decision is based on promising data, scarcity of vaccines, and is a position advocated by the WHO. The agency said kids aged three to nine with chronic diseases may need a second shot and infants and toddlers aged six to 35 months should get two shots of the vaccine. The agency reserved the right to revisit the decision in the future if newer scientific data point to a need for two doses for these children. Canadian Press
National News
According to experts at the Ottawa Health Institute, comparing seasonal flu fatalities to H1N1 deaths is absolutely statistically unfounded since seasonal flu numbers are estimates and mathematical calculations aimed at capturing all the deaths influenza had a hand in. The H1N1 figures count deaths directly attributed to the pandemic virus. A 2007 study looking at 10 years worth of influenza deaths in Canada reported that deaths directly attributed to seasonal flu made up only eight per cent of all influenza-related deaths in a given year. Canadian Press
Canada's chief public health officer, Dr. Butler-Jones officer has commented that the H1N1 pandemic virus appears no deadlier than regular seasonal influenza and that there could actually be substantially fewer flu deaths than normal this season. Although H1N1 is disproportionately infecting more children and otherwise healthy young adults, according to Dr. Butler-Jones, the mortality rate is no worse than seasonal flu. Canada's national pandemic plan estimated a flu outbreak could cause 15 to 35% of the population to fall clinically sick, and force the hospitalizations of 34,000 to 138,000 people. So far, an estimated seven to eight per cent of the population has been infected in the first and second wave. National Post
Opposition Liberal MPs have asked the federal government to translate information about H1N1 into minority languages, ranging from Chinese to Arabic to Farsi, to allow ethnic Canadians to properly understand the disease. Several local public health units across Canada have ended up having to use their own limited resources to translate information about the virus and vaccine. The opposition also wants the Conservative government to reactivate a 2004 contingency fund brought in by the Liberals to assist public health initiatives in the event of a pandemic. Toronto Sun
B.C.'s Provincial Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Perry Kendall, has commented that B.C. is likely through the second wave of the H1N1 flu outbreak and a third wave is unlikely. Kendall says every region in B.C., except for the north, has seen a decrease in doctor-patient visits. News 1130
International News
In the United States, Europe, and Central Asia, influenza transmission remains geographically widespread and intense. In Europe and Central Asia, overall influenza transmission continues to intensify throughout the continent as pandemic activity spreads eastward. High to very high intensity of respiratory diseases with concurrent circulation of pandemic H1N1 2009 was reported in many countries in the area. WHO
In Western Asia, increasing activity has been observed in several countries like Israel and Afghanistan. In East Asia, very intense and increasing influenza activity continues to be reported in Mongolia with a severe impact on the healthcare system. Most countries in the tropical region of Central and South America continue to report declining influenza activity. With the exception of Nepal and Sri Lanka, overall transmission continues to decline in most parts of South and Southeast Asia. WHO
According to the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases, laboratory confirmed cases of H1N1 flu infection in Germany have more than doubled in the past week, to more than 15,000 reported new cases. As of November 14th, 16 people had died from the flu in Germany, with more than 50,000 infected. ABC News
Spain and Greece launched vaccination campaigns against H1N1 on November 16th. Spain's health ministry said the government has bought 37 million doses of the vaccine and will vaccinate pregnant women, health workers and those with serious illnesses. Health authorities in Greece said a total of 700,000 doses would be made available on a voluntary basis to doctors, ambulance staff, and other high-risk employees. AFP
A young woman was diagnosed with Guillain-Barre Syndrome (GBS), possibly linked to the vaccine being used protect the French public against H1N1 flu. GBS is a rare disease that could lead to death if severe pulmonary complications and nervous system problems are present. Every year, about 1,700 cases of the disease are diagnosed in France. Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot said the case diagnosed was light and that the woman was recovering. Earth Times
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