The next update will be on Thursday, November 26th, 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 November 15th, 2009
Vaccine News
Public health officials in Winnipeg say unusually low numbers of people are attending clinics to be vaccinated against the H1N1 virus. The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority reported that clinics on November 20th attracted 4,400 people, a drop from previous averages of 16,000 people per day. CBC
The H1N1 flu vaccine is now available to every British Columbian after a week of low turnouts at immunization clinics, some of which have operated at as little as 50 per cent capacity. Vancouver Sun
Alberta's H1N1 vaccination clinics opened to the general public on November 23rd for the first time since late October when long lineups and vaccine shortages prompted the province to suspend the program and reopen it for high risk groups only. CBC
Quebec's health minister, Yves Bolduc, is optimistic that the general population of Montreal will be able to get their H1N1 flu shot earlier than December 7th. However, this move will hinge on the number of new doses being shipped in the coming days. Regardless, Bolduc says an announcement should be made in the near term. CJAD
Nova Scotia expanded its H1N1 flu vaccination campaign on November 20th to include the general public. Dr. Robert Strang, Nova Scotia’s medical health officer, said officials felt comfortable in opening up the program because a steady supply of vaccine is expected in the coming weeks. Canadian Press
The Public Health Agency of Canada and vaccine manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline have asked the governments of Manitoba, British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Ontario, and Prince Edward Island to stop using a batch of 172,000 doses. Six allergic reactions occurred from the same batch, a higher percentage than usual, according to a spokeswoman for the Public Health Agency. Overall, the number of severe allergic reactions following H1N1 vaccinations is less than 1 per 100,000 doses, the norm for other vaccines. All six people who experienced the allergic reactions have recovered. Reuters
Novartis will officially open the first next-generation flu vaccine plant in the United States this week, but it will be years before it makes its first vaccine. The factory in Holly Hill, North Carolina, will use batches of dog cells to grow influenza vaccine, instead of the chicken eggs widely used now. While the cell method is only slightly faster, it can be scaled up more quickly. Reuters
National News
The Public Health Agency of Canada says that the number of outbreaks at schools and hospitals, the prevalence of flu-related doctor visits, and the number of flu cases for testing across the country has declined, leading to suggestions that the pandemic has peaked. In Ottawa, the number of flu cases fell far enough for local health authorities to close all but one of the city's flu assessment clinics. In Vancouver, a flu clinic at the B.C. Children's hospital also shut down as the number of patients eased. South of the border, fewer Americans are visiting their doctor because of H1N1, according to the Centers for Disease Control. Absentee rates at U.S. schools have returned to normal as well.. CTV
A Vancouver Coastal Health review has found that Richmond Hospital was not at fault in the death of a Richmond, B.C. woman who died of H1N1 after being sent home from the hospital twice. Mae Mah, 51, died of H1N1 on November 1st, hours after being sent home from Richmond Hospital. She had also been to the hospital the day before. Mah had asthma, and had been experiencing breathing problems and fever, but H1N1 was not diagnosed until after her death. Vancouver Sun
International News
In temperate regions of the northern hemisphere, the winter influenza season continues to intensify across parts of North America and much of Europe. However, there are early signs of a peak in disease activity in Western Europe. Further east, Serbia, Norway, Lithuania, Bulgaria and Ukraine reported sharp increases in the rates of flu-like symptoms. In Central and Western Asia, increasing diseases activity and pandemic influenza virus isolations continues to be reported in several countries. In East Asia, influenza transmission remains active. In the tropical areas of Central and South America, most countries continue to report declining influenza activity. With the exception of Sri Lanka, flu activity is declining in tropical South and Southeast Asia. WHO
The Norwegian Institute of Public Health has informed the WHO of a mutation detected in three H1N1 viruses. The viruses were isolated from the first two fatal cases of pandemic influenza in the country and one patient with severe illness. Norwegian scientists have analyzed samples from more than 70 patients with clinical illness and no further instances of this mutation have been detected. The virus with this mutation remains sensitive to the antiviral drugs, oseltamivir and zanamivir, and studies show that currently available pandemic vaccines confer protection. WHO
Officials from Japan, China, and South Korea have agreed to share information on food safety and coordinate measures against the outbreak of the H1N1 influenza virus. The Japanese minister of health, labor and welfare, the Chinese health minister and the South Korean minister of health, welfare and family affairs, took part in talks held in Tokyo on November 23rd. Xinhua
Uzbekistan has closed its border with central Asian neighbor Kazakhstan to all but citizens of each nation returning home, as H1N1 spreads in both countries. The World Health Organization reported that Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, and parts of Afghanistan were reporting higher numbers of flu cases. Reuters
According to the French influenza surveillance system, nearly 2 million French residents have been infected with the H1N1 virus since August. French Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot announced that 200,000 persons thus far have received vaccine injections and urged the vaccination campaign to go "on full acceleration" because of increased virus activity. China View
China's Ministry of Health has ordered all administrative and medical departments to ensure accurate reporting of H1N1 influenza cases, in response to a medical expert from the Chinese Academy of Engineering saying that he did not believe there had been only 53 deaths from the H1N1 virus nationwide. Allegedly, some areas had left dead patients undiagnosed in order to conceal the number of deaths from the flu. The ministry had dispatched nine teams to 12 provinces and autonomous regions to oversee prevention and treatment of the flu, especially treatment of severe cases. China View
Weekly Feature
Find updated guidelines on the H1N1 pandemic vaccine, including recommended recipients, dosages, and routes of administration, from the Public Health Agency of Canada
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