Fraser Health battles increase in swine flu cases
Norovirus outbreak at St. Paul’s Hospital confined to two units
The Fraser Health Authority is urging people to get flu shots after a spike in severe H1N1 cases that may have resulted in one death and put at least a dozen people on respirators.
None of the more than 12 patients had been vaccinated against the newly resurgent swine flu — which has recently killed five people in Alberta — according to Fraser Health’s Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Paul Van Buynder. He suspects one local patient has died from the flu, but is awaiting confirmation from test results.
“I was expecting, because that’s the ( flu) strain that we do have, that I wouldn’t see a lot of severe disease,” Van Buynder said, referencing the global H1N1 pandemic of 2009. “Because people were exposed years ago and it’s been in the vaccine for the last three or four years, I’m disappointed at the extent of the severe disease that we’re seeing already.”
The spike in severe cases over the last two weeks mirrors the pattern seen in Alberta, Ontario and Texas, Van Buynder said.
About half of Fraser Health’s severe cases involve “significantly overweight” patients, who are more susceptible to more serious symptoms, he added. This flu strain has severely affected patients of all age groups, Van Buynder said.
He urged anyone not vaccinated to get a flu shot as soon as possible, but especially higher- risk patients who are overweight, pregnant or with chronic illnesses like asthma.
Since Christmas, 20 adults have been hospitalized with the flu in the Vancouver Coastal Health Authority’s region. Vancouver Coastal spokesman Gavin Wilson said his region has five patients in intensive care right now with a flu strain that he assumes is H1N1.
Meanwhile, visitors to two units at Vancouver’s St. Paul’s Hospital are required to wear gowns and gloves after a norovirus outbreak described as a leading cause of gastrointestinal illness.
The outbreak was confirmed on Thursday when seven of the 75 patients in two of the general medicine units were infected, said Providence Health Care spokesman Dave Lefebvre.
Symptoms indicating a norovirus outbreak include nausea, vomiting, and loose and watery stool above what is considered normal. Lefebvre said as soon as there is a suspicion of norovirus, the hospital takes steps to contain it before it is confirmed by tests, including stopping any patient transfers in or out of the units in question. Symptomatic staff members are sent home.
The hospital says the outbreak has been contained to the two units and none of the other services, units or programs operated by St. Paul’s are affected.
Dr. Reka Gustafson, medical health officer for Vancouver Coastal Health, said that since Nov. 1 there have been 11 outbreaks of norovirus in long- term care facilities and hospitals including St. Paul’s in the region.