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Severe cases focus of H1N1 tracking

BY Leigh Blenkhorn, STAFF June 17, 2009 15:06

Ontario health practitioners are no longer testing for all suspected cases of the H1N1 virus.

Bill Mindell, Director of Clinical Services at the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit, said since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared the flu-virus a pandemic last week, the focus has shifted to tracking the more severe cases.

“In the beginning, the province was testing everyone who had an influenza type illness,” he said. “Health care practitioners were doing the testing, then reporting to us if they were positive. But now we know that H1N1 is readily spreading in the population, so there is no point in collecting that type of information anymore.”

So far, all those with confirmed cases in Simcoe Muskoka have recovered at home. There have been no severe illnesses as of yet.

“If you go in to your doctors, they aren’t going to test you unless they are going to put you in a hospital,” Mindell said.

Having the virus declared a pandemic does not mean things are getting worse. Mindell said the WHO emphasized that the move to a “pandemic level six” was based on the spread of the virus, not the severity.

“The change of declaration doesn’t make any change in the way we are doing things. In fact we are trying to convince everyone that just because it’s been declared a pandemic does not change anything,” he said.

Mindell said the change to a pandemic signals governments that they need to devote more resources to the virus and think about vaccine production.

“They have a vaccine that has just been developed and it takes about four to six months to manufacture it,” he said. “We are anticipating we will have a vaccine for about December.”
In the meantime, the focus should be on stopping the spread of the virus. Mindell strongly recommends washing your hands frequently with soap and water, or with an alcohol sanitizer when a sink isn’t available.

“If you are ill, don’t go to school, don’t go to camp or don’t go to work. Stay at home and try to isolate yourself,” he said. “And if you sneeze or cough do it into your upper-sleeve or elbow.”

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