Canada sees spike in H1N1 flu-related deaths
|
|
The H1N1 flu killed more people in Canada during the past week than in any other week this year, but health officials said on Tuesday the nation’s vaccination program was going so well that it may reach its peak earlier than expected.
Thirty-seven people died of the pandemic flu Nov. 12-17, bringing Canada’s death toll from H1N1 to 198, out of a population of 34 million. Comparable figures from other weeks were not available.
“Rather than seeing thousands of deaths we’ve been fortunate to have people doing what they need to do (to avoid the flu),” Dr. David Butler-Jones, Canada’s chief public health officer, told reporters in Ottawa. “I think we’re in a relatively good position, but a pandemic is always full of surprises.”
Health officials had expected the flu to peak sometime in December, but Butler-Jones said the vaccination program’s progress may move the peak earlier.
About 20 percent of Canadians have now been immunized, Butler-Jones said, the same estimate that health officials gave late last week.
That makes Canada a global leader in terms of the percentage of the population that has received the vaccine, said Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq.
By the end of this week, the federal government will have delivered 10 million doses of the vaccine to the country’s 13 provinces and territories, she said.
The vaccine is currently available only for high-risk groups, such as children, pregnant women and those with a chronic medical condition.
All Canadians who want to get the vaccine are expected to have received it by the end of December.
Health officials reported 36 serious reactions out of 6.6 million doses, including allergic reactions, fever and one death of an elderly person.
—-
* 37 died of flu in Canada during past week
* One-fifth of population vaccinated
By Rod Nickel
WINNIPEG, Manitoba (Reuters)
Print Version
Tell-a-Friend comments powered by Disqus
