The University of Western Ontario Student Health Services is preparing for a possible pandemic of the human swine influenza.
Clinical director Shelagh Bantock says Student Health Services, in cooperation with university administration, the Emergency Response Committee and the Emergency Operations Control Group, has a plan in place for an outbreak of A/H1N1 swine influenza. The clinic has stockpiled gloves, masks and hand sanitizers.
“We are monitoring the situation very closely. We are in close communication with the Middlesex-London Health Unit,” she says. “We are prepared … we have a plan and we will enact it when it is appropriate.”
As of Wednesday, April 29, Ontario health officials confirmed seven cases of swine flu in the province (four in Durham Region and two in York Region and one in Peel). The four cases are considered mild and the individuals are recovering at home.
All of the Ontario cases involved travel to Mexico and laboratory testing confirms the virus strain is the same as cases in Mexico and the United States.
Federal health officials have also confirmed six cases in British Columbia and Nova Scotia.
The federal government issued a travel warning yesterday (April 27), recommending Canadian citizens postpone non-essential travel to Mexico – where the outbreak has been concentrated – until further notice.
Although travelling to Mexico is discouraged, the Director-General of the World Health Organization, Dr. Margaret Chan, says containment of the outbreak is not feasible and focus should be on mitigation measures.
According to the Canadian federal government, the strain of the swine influenza virus has not previously been identified in humans and the number of reported cases, as well as deaths, has increased steadily throughout the month of April and is now affecting most regions of Mexico. Most cases involve adults between 25 and 44 years old.
Canadians already in Mexico are encouraged to monitor local news bulletins and follow the advice of local authorities.
Meanwhile, the university is in the “prevention” phase of its pandemic plan.
Student Health Services is working to educate members of the Western community about what they can do to reduce the risk of contracting the flu and to recognize the symptoms.
Information from the Middlesex-London Health Unit on human swine flu has been distributed to university residences and throughout the University Community Centre, and it is available at Student Health Services.
Those who recently returned from Mexico and are experiencing headaches, fever, muscle aches, coughing, sneezing or general feelings of being unwell are encouraged to stay at home at least seven days, says Bantock. If a person needs to speak to his or her doctor, Bantock recommends patients phone ahead to get advice, rather than risking exposure to others.
The virus is spread by droplets from sneezing or coughing, and the virus can live on inanimate objects for up to 48 hours, she says. Symptoms are typically displayed within a couple of days of exposure. In more severe cases, patients have experienced respiratory difficulty.
“For some people, it will just be the flu. You will feel bad for three to seven days,” she says. “But for others, it may develop into a more difficult lung condition, a respiratory infection.”
In the case of a pandemic, as declared by the World Health Organization and under the guidance of the local health unit, those at the university whose services are not essential will be told to go home. “Most people would be told to go home and stay out of public places,” says Bantock.
Student Health Services will be available to triage patients and those with severe symptoms will be sent to the hospital.
Stockpiles of hand washing and prevention materials would be distributed to residences and buildings across campus.
In order to reduce the risk of developing human swine flu, Bantock recommends frequent hand washing, using hand sanitizers with at least 70 per cent alcohol, washing surfaces, and covering coughs and sneezes.
For more information on the human swine flu, visit https://www.health.gov.on.ca/english/public/updates/archives/hu_09/swine_flu.html.
Watch the Daily News Service for further updates.