Group Health Centre to be H1N1 assessment centre?

Group Health Centre could become a local flu assessment centre, should such a centre be required, says Algoma Public Health (APH) Medical Officer of Health Dr. Allan Northan.

Northan and Jonathon Bouma, APH program director for infection control and outbreak management, spoke to Sault Ste. Marie City Council tonight about the Influenza A virus subtype H1N1, commonly known as swine flu.

Said Northan: "If we get that surge of flu that some of you have suggested we might get ... where we are completely overwhelmed for maybe a few days or so, we are working with the Group Health Centre on perhaps having a centre at Group Health. But I'm talking here publicly and don't want it to get out that that's absolutely set up. But Jonathon and I are talking with Group Health about that."

Northan said he hoped such a centre would not be needed because Saultites can reduce the spread of the H1N1 flu by practising good handwashing protocol, cough and sneeze etiquette (cough into your elbow, not your hands), by staying home when sick and getting vaccinated when it becomes available.

He said that Group Health Centre was identified as the flu assessment centre for Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 (commonly known as bird flu) during that outbreak in 1997.

The need never arose to use it as such, but there was a plan in place to turn a section of the Group Health Centre into an assessment centre if needed, said Northan.

He and Bouma would like to see a similar arrangement made in preparation for pandemic H1N1.

Council invited Algoma Public Health to make tonight's presentation so councillors could be better informed to answer questions from constituents, said Ward 2 City Councillor Susan Myers.

Bouma said there's been trepidation among the medical and general populations because this flu has infected more young people and caused more severe illness initially, but now the cases appearing across the province are fewer in number and less severe.

"Those born before the early 1950s may have developed some immunity," he said.

Bouma said some in the medical community believe a virus similar to pandemic H1N1 may have circulated in the early 1950s and that's why the older population is seeing less incidents of it and milder cases.

"There have been seven cases confirmed in Algoma," Bouma said. "The number of H1N1 cases is low across the province and in Algoma now, but predicted to rise later in the fall."

He told councillors that Algoma Public Health is conducting ongoing surveillance of the number and severity of confirmed cases.

Both he and Northan stressed that there may be more cases of H1N1 than the health unit is aware of, simply because people are following APH's recommendations and staying home when they are sick unless their symptoms become life-threatening, too severe to tolerate or continue longer than seven days.

Ontario’s Ministry of Health and Long Term Care plans to avert an H1N1 pandemic by educating and vaccinating the public with the help of health units, Northan said.

"There are only two ways to become immune to a virus," Northan said. "Exposure and vaccination."

He said he personally would prefer a little redness on his arm to the symptoms of the flu, no matter how mild the case he contracts may be.

APH is working with other health care institutions, school boards and other community agencies to mitigate effects from pandemic H1N1 virus.

Currently, that plan focuses on education to slow down the spread of H1N1.

But it will include a vaccination program when a vaccine becomes available.

All across Ontario, millions of doses of Baxter International Ltd.'s patented cell-based Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 antigens are being cultured to make a vaccine.

This vaccine is expected to be available in November, said Northan.

"Complications from the immunization [vaccine] are rare and generally very mild," he said. "Being immunized with a vaccination means you won't get sick."

Because this flu strain affects people over 65 differently than it does people under 65, these two groups are being treated differently across the province, Northan said.

"The seasonal flu vaccine is being shipped out next week to be given to people over 65 in October," he said. "In November and December, the H1N1 vaccine will be available to the general population, then we'll return to seasonal flu vaccines after that."

He also said he believes the Sault and outlying district of Algoma are well prepared to cope with an outbreak of H1N1, should public education and vaccinations be insufficient to prevent it.