Swine flu confirmed in 3 northern B.C. students
Swine flu no worse than seasonal flu, says Vancouver health official
Three new cases of swine flu have been confirmed among schoolchildren in northern B.C., officials said Monday, bringing the total number of cases in the province to 39.
The three students are from Decker Lake Elementary, located west of Burns Lake in northern B.C. The school remained closed on Monday after shutting on Friday when 40 students reported flu-like symptoms. The regional chief medical health officer is expected to issue new recommendations later in the day.
The number of swine flu cases confirmed in B.C. rose to 39 on Monday, but health officials said the new cases were expected and not dangerous. Michelle Stewart of the B.C. Health Ministry said the new cases are all among young adults and mild enough not to require hospitalization.
One severe case of swine flu did result in the hospitalization of an Alberta girl, health officials in that province announced on Monday, but health care officials in Vancouver said Monday swine flu is not as dangerous as originally thought.
Not so dangerous
At a briefing Monday morning at City Hall, the chief medical health officer for Vancouver Coastal Health said the virus causing swine flu, or the H1N1 influenza virus, is no worse than any other seasonal influenza.
British Columbia's confirmed cases of swine flu include:
- 14 in the Fraser Valley.
- 12 in the Metro Vancouver area.
- 6 on Vancouver Island.
- 2 in the southern Interior.
- 5 in northern B.C.
Dr. Patricia Daly said much of the original information that came out of Mexico was incomplete, and many people who were initially misdiagnosed with swine flu when they actually had regular influenza.
"As more test results come in and more epidemiologists look at the number from Mexico, the feeling now is that while there would have been deaths, these would be at rates that we see with a regular seasonal influenza," Daly said. "As I mentioned, we do get 4,500 Canadians dying each flu season from influenza."
Health officials will not close schools in the Lower Mainland, even if more cases are detected, Daly said. But one other school and a daycare in Vernon remained closed on Monday after one student developed a mild case of the swine flu last week after returning from a trip to Mexico.
The West Vernon children's centre in the north Okanagan is scheduled to reopen on Wednesday if no further cases of swine flu are reported, according to reports, but Beairsto Elementary School is scheduled to remain closed until May 11.
Pork producers concerned by Alberta herd infection
B.C.'s pork producers say they're being more cautious after a herd of Alberta pigs became infected with swine flu, most likely by a worker who had contracted the virus while on vacation in Mexico.
It's believed to be the first time that pigs have contracted the current strain of the virus in Canada. Most of the pigs have recovered, but the herd was quarantined over the weekend as a precaution.
"We're more careful. We can only do so much. We shower into our barns, shower out of our barns, wash our boots, disinfect our barns, wash our trucks, try to keep everything clean and sterile as possible," the chair of the B.C. Pork Producers Association, Jack Dewit said.
Dewit said the outbreak has been a blow to B.C. producers who have been dealing with low prices. Health officials have said there is no risk of contracting the flu from pork, but China has banned pork products from Alberta.
More than 1,000 cases worldwide
More than 100 cases of swine flu have been confirmed across Canada, with the most being found in Nova Scotia, B.C., Alberta, and Ontario.
According to the World Health Organization, 20 countries have officially reported a total of more than 1,000 cases of swine flu, including 25 deaths in Mexico and one death in the United States.