Local 'swine' flu clinics start next Monday

Public health officials across the country are washing their hands and praying that the death Monday of a teenaged hockey player in Etobicoke, along with a sudden upsurge of H1N1 ("swine") flu in B.C., does not cause a panic.

Locally, the first vaccination clinic in Orangeville will open Monday morning at a Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph health unit facility at 276A Broadway.

The virus is said not to be airborne but spread by contact. An infected person could, for example, deposit the virus on a door handle and a healthy person could contract the flu by opening the same door.

Amongst a plethora of precautionary advice, health officials warn against touching one's face unless the hands have been thoroughly cleansed. In all events, clean hands are said to be the first line of defence against the virus.

The WDG health unit, which will open its first H1N1 clinic in Guelph Friday, is "encouraging" high-risk persons to come to the clinics first. It has not, however, set out a system by which the priorities could be maintained.

There would be no pressing need for overcrowding at the clinics. Orangeville's begin Monday and run until Dec. 23. There are only two clinics planned in Shelburne, Nov. 17 and Dec. 15 at the Mel Lloyd Centre.

What is the rationale behind the scheduling? WDG says it looked at population first, and then considered past experience with the seasonal flu vaccine to estimate numbers of persons likely to attend the clinics.

By those yardsticks, it has scheduled clinics four days weekly in Orangeville and Guelph, but just one day weekly in smaller centres.

On priorities, the health unit might be relying on faith when it says it will reach all highrisk persons who wish to be vaccinated. "We are confident the province will provide all the vaccine required," said a spokesperson.

Headwaters Health Care Centre in Orangeville has seen about a 20 per cent increase in Emergency Room attendance in recent weeks. Communications manager Ann Cain said she didn't immediately have a breakdown of how many of those would have been for common cold symptoms and how many were of actual flu — either H1N1 or seasonal.

The hospital has three ventilators, she said, but the ER has a capability of handling such needs. Ms. Cain said, in general terms, the hospital can be confident it can see that patients are cared for.

The 13-year-old hockey player is reported to have died within hours of displaying severe symptoms of flu. Meantime, there were 88 new cases of severe flu and three deaths in a single week in B.C. In almost all instances, the victims have been reported as being over the age of six months and in the prime of life. The WDG clinics will be open to all local residents, according to its website.

Although the H1N1 vaccine is recommended for anyone over six months of age, those who would benefit most from early vaccination are encouraged to come first. These groups include: health care providers; children from six months to five years; household contacts of children less than six months of age; pregnant women in the second half of pregnancy (over 20 weeks gestation) or women with underlying medical conditions at any stage of pregnancy; and people under 65 years of age with chronic medical conditions.

WDG received its first shipment of H1N1 vaccine late last week. Prior to the start of the public clinics, the vaccine was provided to higher risk populations in hospitals and long-term care facilities, and will be distributed to physicians who request it.