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 29th 2009
National News
The latest figures from the Public Health Agency of Canada show six new deaths reported in the six-day period that ended on December 9th, occurring in British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, and Newfoundland. By comparison, the agency had reported 28 deaths in the previous period. The national total of laboratory confirmed H1N1 deaths is now 363. Canadian PressFatal cases of H1N1 flu result from a devastating form of lung damage virtually identical to the pulmonary devastation caused in the 1918 and 1957 global flu outbreaks. Autopsy studies revealed a consistent pattern of deeply penetrating damage throughout the lungs' lower airways. Dr. Jeffrey Taubenberger, a pioneering flu scientist at NIAID in Maryland, adds that the autopsy cases also revealed evidence of secondary bacterial infections, mostly pneumococcal pneumonia, and methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus. Kelowna.com
For a few weeks this spring, the world's attention was focused on a cluster of remote First Nations communities in northern Manitoba. As critically ill residents were airlifted daily to hospital, the reserves appeared to be at the Canadian epicentre of the H1N1 flu outbreak. The WHO has pointed to Canada as an example of how the virus took a harsher toll on people facing poverty. Aboriginal leaders are saying the outbreak should be a wake-up call to people about the squalid living conditions, lack of accessible health care, and poor education on Canadian reserves. Canadian Press
International News
H1N1 flu has struck isolated North Korea, although it was unclear whether there were any fatalities from the virus that has been circling the globe for months. North Korea made its first acknowledgment of an H1N1 outbreak with a short dispatch in state media citing nine confirmed cases in northwestern Sinuiju on the Chinese border and in Pyongyang, the capital. Winnipeg Free Press
The Chinese mainland reported 125 deaths from the A/H1N1 influenza in the week from November 30th to December 6th, nearly 65 percent of the number of deaths for the whole of November. About 13.7% of all the 326 deaths reported so far were pregnant women. Cao Zhixin, a doctor at Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, said the high percentage was because pregnant women were generally unwilling to take medicines or X-ray checks. China View
The number of deaths in mainland France from the H1N1 flu virus jumped in the last week. The toll rose to 68 deaths as of November 22, with 22 new deaths last week. Six of the 68 victims had no underlying health problems. 750,000 people have already been vaccinated but many vaccination centres are now facing long waiting lines. Reuters
Vaccine News
Millions of dollars worth of H1N1 vaccine could go unused in B.C. because demand for the flu shot has declined. The province ordered four million doses of the vaccine from the manufacturer at a cost of $32 million. There was a strong demand when the vaccine first arrived in B.C. in late October. Now, however, with slightly more than half of the doses distributed to clinics, but not all used, there is a real possibility of excess supply as demand drops. 40% of the population and 45% of health workers have been vaccinated. Vancouver SunB.C.'s H1N1 vaccine clinics will close on December 18th. Medical Health Officer Dr. Perry Kendall said that people should take advantage of the clinics until then to get immunized against the H1N1 flu. Winnipeg Free Press
According to Alberta Health Services, Calgary’s H1N1 immunization clinics continue to remain steady, with no plans yet to shut them down or cut hours. When at the peak, Calgary clinics were doling out 18,000 to 20,000 H1N1 shots a day, but that number has since dropped to about 5,000 to 6,000. Metro News
When the H1N1 flu vaccine was most scarce, health officials gave thousands of doses to corporate clinics at Walt Disney World, Toyota, defense contractors, oil companies, and cruise lines. There was public outcry last month over Wall Street firms such as Goldman Sachs receiving doses while doctors and hospitals encountered shortages. The data show other companies got the vaccine in October and early November. In some cases, early doses went to people not deemed most at risk by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. According to Anne Schuchat, the CDC's immunization director, each state health department must decide how to provide the vaccine to people most at risk, and employers are a legitimate venue. USA TODAY
Flu vaccine shortages in developing nations may destabilize global security should the H1N1 virus become more deadly. According to David Heymann, a former deputy head of the World Health Organization, inequitable access to immunization could inflame international tensions since there aren’t adequate measures in place to ensure less developed countries have access to vaccines. About 200 million doses of H1N1 flu vaccine have been donated to WHO for distribution and the WHO will start immunizing health care workers in developing nations this month. Bloomberg
Fewer Europeans are getting pandemic flu vaccine than typically get seasonal flu shots, as safety concerns and lower-than-expected death rates have damped demand. The U.K., Ireland, Italy, Germany, and France have vaccinated less than 10% of their populations, compared with 20% in Europe in a typical flu season. Public concerns that the vaccines made by GSK, Novartis, and Baxter may cause serious side effects have kept some Europeans on the sidelines since governments began vaccinating residents for free in October. Bloomberg
Germany plans to sell more than two million H1N1 vaccinations abroad due to weak domestic demand. Only about 5% of the public has been vaccinated, according to Health Minister Philip Roesler. He said he was checking with other countries to see if they needed any of the medicines and that Ukraine had already signaled interest. Reuters
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