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The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health
Unit is continuing to monitor and inform the public about Pandemic
(H1N1) 2009 (formerly named Novel H1N1 Influenza Virus). It is a
respiratory illness that causes symptoms similar to those of regular
seasonal influenza. |
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Contact Us:
If you have questions or concerns, please call the Health ACTION
Line at
1-800-660-5853 or 613-345-5685 to speak with a Public Health Nurse.
Weekdays - Between 8:30 am and 4:30 pm
E-mail - webmaster@healthunit.org
(Messages answered within 2 working days) |
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Media Release: If you are a member of the
media and want further information or an interview please contact
webmaster@healthunit.org. We will not be releasing updated
numbers of cases, please check the activity report below for the
most up to date statistics. |
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Level of H1N1 Activity Including Number of Cases:
November 13, 2009
Archive of Weekly Surveillance Reports |
Influenza-like symptoms include:
- fever of more than 38ºC and cough,
and
- sore throat, shortness of breath/difficulty breathing, fatigue or aching muscles.
- adults over 65 may not experience fever.
- in children under 5, gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea,
diarrhea, vomiting) may also be present. Fever may not be present in
individuals under 5 years of age or 65 years and older.
Influenza Self-Assessment Tools
Use this online tool to help you determine if you or your child has influenza and who you should contact.
Fact Sheets
Community Flu Assessment and Treatment Centre Information
Flu Centres Closing
as
Influenza Activity Slows Down
To prevent the spread of influenza:
If you are experiencing influenza-like symptoms, please stay home from school, childcare centres, work, and/or recreational activities such as sports and social clubs. Avoid
going to the emergency department unless you are recommended to do so by your primary care provider or Telehealth Ontario (1-866-797-0000).
If your symptoms worsen, contact your health care provider or Telehealth Ontario (1-866-797-0000). Adults and children with underlying medical conditions, children
under the age of 5 years, and pregnant women who develop symptoms should
contact your healthcare provider IMMEDIATELY.
H1N1 Frequently Asked Questions
How Can I get Information About Influenza by Phone?
How have the Health Unit Services
been affected by the H1N1 Pandemic?
Is the H1N1 Vaccine Safe?
When Can I Get the
H1N1 Vaccine?
How long will it take after I receive the vaccine to have immunity against the virus?
What Should I Expect at a Priority Group Clinic?
What information can you provide Pregnant women?
How Will I Feel After I Receive my Vaccine?
Can an individual have the H1N1 influenza vaccine if they are currently taking an anti-viral drug (i.e. Tamiflu)?
When Can Seniors 65+ Get the
H1N1 Vaccine?
What can snowbirds do about getting the H1N1 shot before travelling south for the winter?
Are seniors able to get the seasonal flu shot at this time?
Why isn’t this Health Unit vaccinating children 5-18 in the first priority groups?
How many doses of H1N1 vaccine should children 9 years of age and under be receiving?
Why can’t children 9 years of age and under get one full dose?
Will schools be closed to control the spread of H1N1?
How Can I get Information About Influenza by Phone?
- Call the Health Unit @ 1-800-660-5853 if you have questions about seasonal and H1N1 vaccines and priority groups. Lines are open
8:30am – 4:30pm Monday to Friday.
- Call Telehealth Ontario (1-866-797-0000) if you or a family member is sick and you have questions.
- Call your Health Care Provider if you have influenza-like symptoms and you are pregnant, have underlying
medical conditions, are over 65 or under 5 years of age. You may need to book an appointment quickly to receive treatment.
- Only go to the Emergency Department if your illness is severe or worsening; such as having difficulty breathing,
shortness of breath, chest pain, continuous vomiting or severe diarrhea with signs of dehydration, confusion, seizures, or extreme lack of energy.
How have the Health Unit Services been affected by the H1N1 Pandemic?
Baby Talk and Prenatal Classes Cancelled until further notice….. due to public health nurses being redeployed to H1N1 clinics and other activities.
Clients with individual questions or issues can call
1-800-660-5853 to talk to a Public Health Nurse from
8:30 AM - 4:30 PM Monday to Friday.
Is the H1N1 Vaccine Safe?
The H1N1 vaccine has been developed according to the strictest standards and has successfully passed through the rigorous process used by Health Canada
to evaluate vaccines for approval. It is now being evaluated as it is being administered to Canadians through a very carefully designed surveillance
system that detects adverse events following immunization. To date, the vaccine has been given to 6.6 million Canadians and only 36 cases of serious
reactions have been identified. This is a remarkable safety record. As with all vaccines, very rarely serious adverse events occur. When this rate of
serious reactions is weighed against the 200 deaths (37 in the last week) that have been caused by the H1N1 virus so far in Canada, the risk of serious
adverse reactions appears to be very small.
When Can I get the H1N1 Vaccine?
On Wednesday, Oct 21st, the Ministry of Health announced its intention to send a partial shipment of vaccine to all health units so that immunization can take place next week with the first priority groups.
The first shipment of vaccine contains an adjuvant, an additive made up of natural ingredients, that speeds up the body’s immune response and may lengthen the duration of immunity.
As soon as vaccine arrives in the Health Unit offices, we will be advertising where
those who fit into the first priority groups can go to get immunized.
The Priority Groups Are:
- Health care workers
- Individuals under 65 years of age with selected chronic medical conditions if significant enough to require regular medical follow up or hospital care, including:
- Blood disorders
- Liver disease
- Heart disease
- Asthma and chronic lung disease
- A weakened immune system (i.e., people taking cancer drugs or people with HIV/AIDS)
- Neurological disorders
- Severe obesity
- Diabetes
- Kidney disease - Pregnant women over 20 weeks or all pregnant women with chronic medical conditions
- New mothers within 4 weeks after delivery
- Children 6 months of age to under five years of age
- Household contacts and care providers of:
- infants less than 6 months of age
- persons who are immunocompromised
H1N1 Clinic Flyer for Posting 
H1N1 Priority Groups Listing
What should I expect at a Priority Group Clinic?
Eligibility Forms:
- Eligibility forms are used to determine if you fit into the priority group
- Eligibility forms can only be completed at clinics.
They are not available online
- When you arrive at the clinic, you will receive a numbered eligibility form
Complete one form per person to be immunized
- You can pick up a form for other household members that fit into a priority group who are unable to wait in line
- You will be given instructions at the clinic regarding the number on the eligibility form
Parents:
- If you send your child to the clinic with another adult,
sign this
consent form and send it to the clinic.
How long will it take after I receive the vaccine to have immunity against the virus?
After receiving the H1N1 flu vaccine, most people will start to develop immunity within 10 days with just one dose.
How Will I Feel After I Receive my Vaccine?
After you have received the H1N1 Vaccine it is normal to experience:
- Pain and swelling where the injection was given,
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Tiredness, muscle and joint pain, and headaches.
- Children may
have a mild fever, be tired and irritable and not want to eat.
As with the seasonal influenza vaccine, it is expected that most side effects will be mild, will not last
long and will go away on their own.
Abnormal or adverse side effects from the H1N1 vaccine may include:
- Hives
- Swelling of the mouth or throat
- Trouble
breathing, hoarseness or wheezing
- Paleness, weakness,
dizziness
- Red eyes, respiratory symptoms, facial swelling or
a combination of these within 24 hours of receiving vaccine and
lasting 48 hours.
Seek medical attention (from your health care provider or the nearest hospital)
immediately if any of these ABNORMAL symptoms happen within three days after your vaccination.
Can an individuall have the H1N1 influenza vaccine if they are currently taking an anti-viral drug (i.e. Tamiflu)?
The H1N1 influenza vaccine can be given to individuals who are taking anti-viral drugs. However, individuals should be well before receiving
the H1N1 influenza vaccine (ie: mild fever or fever absent for 24 hours without the use of over-the-counter medications and the person is
feeling well enough to resume normal activities). Individuals can receive the H1N1 influenza vaccine if they have a mild cough with no other symptoms.
For individuals planning to attend a public clinic, the Health Unit asks that only those who have been fever free for 24 hrs attend to
avoid spreading an infection to others at the clinic. If you still have a fever but wish to be immunized, please contact your primary care provider.
When Can Seniors 65+ get the H1N1 Vaccine?
According to the Ministry of Health, those 65 and over are at a much greater risk of becoming ill with seasonal influenza than with H1N1 influenza. Evidence is showing that in general, those 65 and over have built up an immunity to H1N1-possibly because they have been exposed to a similar virus earlier in their lives. It is therefore recommended that those 65 and over get the seasonal influenza vaccine as soon as possible and the H1N1 influenza vaccine once it is available to this age group (sometime in November). The Ministry’s vaccination program has been set up this way to best protect everyone.
http://www.health.gov.on.ca/en/ccom/flu/h1n1/public/seniors.aspx
What can snowbirds do about getting the H1N1 shot before travelling south for the winter?
Adults who were born before the year 1957 are at lower risk of contracting the H1N1 virus. There is evidence to
suggest that this age group has been exposed to viruses in their lifetime that are similar to the H1N1. Therefore
they may have antibodies that are protecting them from coming down with this H1N1
influenza. However, there is always the
potential for infection and the Canadian government is offering all Canadians the vaccine if they want it. Due to limited
supply of vaccine, the current recommendation is to offer those people who are considered at risk (such as health care workers,
individuals under 65 years of age with chronic medical conditions, pregnant women, very young children, household contacts of infants
less than 6 months and persons who have weakened immune systems) in the first round of shots. When this group has been immunized, the
rest of the population, including the snowbirds, will be offered the vaccine. We do not know at this point when enough vaccine will be
available and can not guarantee that it will be available before your trip. Please keep checking the Health Unit web site for up-to-date
information about our clinics.
Are seniors able to get the seasonal flu shot at this time?
Yes.
The family doctors have seasonal influenza vaccine. This is the recommended vaccine for all adults over the age of 65 years.
Speak to your health care provider if you missed the earlier clinics and wish to be protected from seasonal flu.
Why isn’t this Health Unit vaccinating children 5-18 in the first priority groups?
We are immunizing priority groups according to instructions from the MOHLTC and as advised by the PHAC.
These priority groups were developed by an expert scientific group based on evidence collected during the spring H1N1
outbreak in Canada and the winter H1N1 outbreak in the Southern Hemisphere. We believe that we should base our decisions
on evidence and decisions of expert groups who have had ample time to study the evidence and provide their advice. It is
regrettable that two school aged children have died already in this second wave of H1N1. These events are tragic.
However, they do not alter the epidemiology of this outbreak that identifies school age children at low (but not zero)
risk of complications and death due to H1N1 while other groups such as pregnant women and children under 5 years of age
are at much higher risk. Our vaccine supply is very limited. We wish to give this limited supply to those who can benefit
most from it rather than divert it to those who are known to benefit less.
How many doses of H1N1 vaccine should children 9 years of age and under be receiving?
All children between 6 months of age and under 3 years of age and children between 3 and 9
years of age with chronic health conditions should receive two half-doses of adjuvanted H1N1
flu vaccine, given at least 21 days apart. Guidance for children in this age group is unchanged.
Please note that there is no rush for these children to receive their second dose as almost all are
protected by the first dose. The second dose is to lengthen protection.
Healthy children between 3 and 9 years of age should only receive a single half-dose of the H1N1 vaccine, and do not need to return for a second dose for now.
Why can’t children 9 years of age and under get one full dose?
The manufacturer has recommended two half doses for children from 6 months to 9 years of age based on the results of clinical trials studying children’s
response to this and other similar vaccines such as the seasonal flu vaccine. These trials show that children do not respond to the vaccine as well as
adults and require 2 doses to get full protection. Giving more vaccine at the first dose results in more adverse reactions without removing the necessity
of giving the second dose to get full protection.
Will schools be closed to control the spread of H1N1?
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC), the Ministry of Health and Long Term Care (MOHLTC), and the Health Unit are not recommending
school closures at this time. PHAC states that widespread proactive closure of schools may not be effective in preventing the transmission
of H1N1, and the benefits of keeping schools open currently outweighs the risk of transmission in these settings. This recommendation will
be reviewed based on the situation in Canada, Ontario and locally.
The Leeds, Grenville and Lanark District Health Unit is monitoring school absenteeism and is frequently communicating with schools and school
boards to ensure safe environments for students and staff. In the event that a school’s absenteeism rate is unusually high, and school closure
is being considered, the Health Unit and the school board would consult prior to deciding the best option for that school.
General Public Information
Schools / Daycares
(Resources for School Staff, Daycare Providers
and Parents)
Social Clubs / Youth Groups
Hand hygiene is the best way to prevent the spread
of Pandemic (H1N1)
2009
Caring for People with Influenza at Home
Cleaning and Disinfecting
Order Copies of Resources
For further information about Pandemic (H1N1)
2009, please visit:
For further information about Pandemic (H1N1)
2009, please visit:
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