H1N1
Changes to Medical Interrogation in regards to H1N1 - March 12, 2010
Please note the change in practice for the EHS Medical Communications Centre H1N1 interrogation, per Dr. Andrew Travers, PMD:
Effective immediately the Medical Communications Centre will no longer be interrogating patients regarding H1N1 contact specifically. Any known communicable diseases will be noted in the call as usual.
Departments of Health & Health Promotion and Protection H1N1 Bulletins
Click here to read the latest H1N1 Bulletin released by the Departments of Health & Health Promotion and Protection.
Previous H1N1 bulletins can be viewed here.
H1N1 vaccination campaign open to all Nova Scotians - November 20
Nova Scotia's H1N1 vaccination campaign has been expanded to include all Nova Scotians, Dr. Robert Strang, the province's chief public health officer, announced today, Nov. 20.
"Since the beginning, Nova Scotians have shown patience as we have rolled out our immunization campaign to those most at risk first," said Dr. Strang. "Over the coming weeks, we anticipate a steady supply of vaccine, which is why we have decided to open it to everyone.
"I would also like to extend thanks to our public health service staff who have demonstrated a great deal of dedication during the campaign. We recognize that they've worked extremely hard under a difficult situation and will continue to do so in the coming weeks as we continue immunizing Nova Scotians."
The decision is based on the amount of available vaccine and the expected supply over the coming weeks. As of today, the province has almost 70,000 available doses of vaccine. It expects to receive 135,000 doses adjuvanted vaccine early next week.
Nova Scotians are reminded that depending on the number of people coming to clinics, it is possible some districts may temporarily run out of vaccine.
"We would prefer that we run out of vaccine and restart clinics when we get more, than have vaccine sitting in fridges throughout the province," said Dr. Strang. "Vaccination is the best defence against H1N1 and the sooner we can get more vaccine into people's arms, the better."
Dr. Strang still encourages individuals most at risk to get vaccinated. Healthy Nova Scotians are asked to be patient as these groups continue to come to the clinics. The campaign will take a number of weeks to complete as more and more Nova Scotians come to the clinics.
On Nov. 16, the province announced that one group of children -- those with a chronic medical condition but who are not immunocompromised -- could wait longer than the minimum 21 days for their second dose. Now that the campaign has been opened to all Nova Scotians, those children can receive their second dose when they reach the 21-day mark.
Dr. Strang also encouraged employers to be flexible with employees over the coming weeks to provide them the opportunity to get vaccinated.
"Allowing employees the time off to get vaccinated will benefit the employer in the long term," said Dr. Strang.
For more information, visit www.gov.ns.ca/h1n1 , or call HealthLink 811.
November 2009 Mailout - Personal Protective Equipment
On November 12th, a package of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) was sent to each EHS registered MFR agency via ExpressPost. These packages contained one-size-fits-all simple masks and a quantity of 118mL bottles of hand sanitizer. The accompanying letter is also available here.
H1N1 Update - October 29, 2009
Nova Scotians now have more detailed advice on what to do if they have flu-like symptoms, which include fever and/or cough, sore throat and extreme tiredness.
"Up to this point in time, we have been telling people that if they are sick, they should stay home. Now, as we have learned more about the H1N1 virus, we have new guidelines that offer much better clarity and direction on what to do if you have influenza symptoms," said Dr. Ken Buchholz, senior physician advisor, Department of Health. (read more »)
October 21st H1N1 Q&As
The following Q&A documents were released by the NS Departments of Health and Health Promotion & Protection on October 21, 2009:
October 16th letter from Dr. Andrew Travers, PMD
Click here to read the October 16 th letter from Dr. Andrew Travers, Provincial Medical Director, regarding steps to ensure patient and MFR safety with regard to Human Swine Influenza (H1N1).
Information on Pregnancy, Breastfeeding and H1N1 Flu Virus
Click here for information from the Public Health Agency of Canada on pregnancy, breastfeeding and H1N1.
September 25th letter from Dr. Robert Strang
Click here to read the September 25th letter from Dr. Robert Strang, Chief Public Health Officer, regarding the 2009/10 immunization program.
August 21 , 2009 - New Advice for H1N1 Care from NS Departments of Health/Health Promotion & Protection
New advice from the Public Health Agency of Canada means most Nova Scotians will no longer have to stay home for seven days if they contract HINI (human swine influenza).
People with HINI should stay home and minimize contact with others until they are: symptom-free, feeling well and able to resume normal day-to-day activities.
"This was determined by a national group of experts and the change comes as we learn more about the disease," said Dr. Maureen Baikie, deputy chief medical officer of health. "The advice around staying home is really a general rule of thumb. It may vary in some settings where people work with vulnerable populations."
The full press release is available here.
June 11, 2009 - Swine Flu Update from Dr. Robert Strang
Dear Stakeholder:
As you may know, the World Health Organization today declared a Level 6 H1N1 (human swine influenza) pandemic, based on the transmission patterns of this new influenza virus around the world. This simply means the virus has spread to more locations; it does not mean the virus is more severe.
This was not a surprise. We were aware that this might happen, and we are prepared for it.
In Nova Scotia, we have had 79 cases of H1N1 (human swine influenza) to date. In most situations, the cases we’ve seen here in Nova Scotia have been typical flu-like illness, which patients can treat at home. We have had one case, in Capital District Health Authority, which required hospitalization. That patient had a pre-existing medical condition, and is now improving.
We continue, however, to take the virus seriously. We are preparing for the possibility that Nova Scotia might see more cases of H1N1 (human swine influenza), and with greater severity, with more people requiring hospitalization.
In Manitoba and in Nunavut, where numbers of cases continue to increase, a significant number of people from remote communities who’ve been infected with the virus have required hospitalization for severe illness. It is not clear why that’s the case. Regardless, together we need to prepare Nova Scotia’s healthcare system for the possibility that we may see more cases of this virus, and more severe cases. We must also be prepared for the strain that could place on the system.
I would encourage you and your organization(s) to also prepare for the potential that this virus could return with increased frequency and severity. You can do this by ensuring your own business continuity plans are in place and by keeping up-to-date on the most current information.
Please remember that prevention is always the best way to prevent flu-like illness. Please take note of, and share, the following key tips to staying well:
• Cough or sneeze into your sleeve or arm;
• Frequently clean and disinfect common surfaces and items such doorknobs and counters;
• Stay away from public places if you are sick.
Visit www.gov.ns.ca/hpp/cdpc/h1n1-influenza-posters.asp for general handwashing hygiene posters you can post in your office or facility.
Thank you for your support and your cooperation.
Sincerely,
Robert Strang MD, MHSc., FRCPC
Chief Public Health Officer
Department of Health Promotion and Protection
Swine Influenza Information
As of April 26th, our call-taking procedure in our EHS Medical Communications Centre was amended to include requests for patient travel history from anyone reporting symptoms of the swine flu virus.
The safety of our Medical First Responders is of paramount importance. If any calls are received at our EHS Medical Communications Centre in which a patient reports symptoms that are consistent with this illness, or if the patient reports that they have potentially been in contact with a carrier of the illness, Medical First Response will not be sent to the call. These calls will be triaged on an incident-by-incident basis with input from senior members of our medical team.
For information pertaining to the swine flu please visit www.gov.ns.ca/hpp/cdpc/swine-influenza.asp.
Public Health Agency of Canada general inquiries hotline: 1-800-454-8302
Swine Flu Q&As from Health Promotion and Protection
The Nova Scotia Department of Health Promotion and Protection has created a swine flu Q&A document (PDF) for health care professionals in our province.
Please visit the HPP website for additional information.
