Canada: No more H1N1 deaths than from seasonal flu 11/20/09
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Nov 20, 2009 by ■ Lynne Melcombe
While headlines decry the rising H1N1 death toll, news is emerging that there have been no more deaths from this pandemic than from seasonal flu.
A November 20 article on canada.com reported Canada's Chief Health Officer, Dr. David Butler-Jones, as saying that, "the mortality rate from this (H1N1) is no worse than seasonal flu."
A November 20 article in the Ottawa Citizen notes that all but one vaccination clinic are being closed because peak demand has passed.
An article in the November 20 Vancouver Sun indicates that the second wave seems to be easing off in Alberta.
An article in the November 20 Edmonton Sun quoted Dr. Gerry Predy, senior medical officer of health for Alberta Health Services, as saying, "I think we haven't seen the worst in terms of the number of severe illnesses and other people who will require more critical care."
As of November 19, H1N1 appears to have claimed the lives of 250 Canadians, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada. In any other year, between 750 and 2500 Canadians die of the flu in a year.
The numbers are similar in the US (where about 4000 have died this year rather than the usual 36,000 annual flu-related deaths) and globally.
So why is H1N1 being called a pandemic? In fact, the flu outbreak every year is considered at least a level 1 pandemic.
What are the differences between the H1N1 pandemic and the usual seasonal flu pandemic? The primary differences seem to be three-fold: H1N1 hit earlier than regular flu season, there's been more activity in the northern hemisphere than usual, and while the regular flu hits elderly people with the highest mortality rate, H1N1 is infecting largely young people.
Why is this flu impacting young people hardest? One theory is that the last time the swine flu hit was in the 1960s, so people who lived through that have antibodies while younger people do not. While some of the young people who have died have been otherwise healthy, for the most part it is young people with underlying medical conditions who have died.
While headlines decry the rising H1N1 death toll, news is emerging that there have been no more deaths from this pandemic than from seasonal flu.
A November 20 article on canada.com reported Canada's Chief Health Officer, Dr. David Butler-Jones, as saying that, "the mortality rate from this (H1N1) is no worse than seasonal flu."
A November 20 article in the Ottawa Citizen notes that all but one vaccination clinic are being closed because peak demand has passed.
An article in the November 20 Vancouver Sun indicates that the second wave seems to be easing off in Alberta.
An article in the November 20 Edmonton Sun quoted Dr. Gerry Predy, senior medical officer of health for Alberta Health Services, as saying, "I think we haven't seen the worst in terms of the number of severe illnesses and other people who will require more critical care."
As of November 19, H1N1 appears to have claimed the lives of 250 Canadians, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada. In any other year, between 750 and 2500 Canadians die of the flu in a year.
The numbers are similar in the US (where about 4000 have died this year rather than the usual 36,000 annual flu-related deaths) and globally.
So why is H1N1 being called a pandemic? In fact, the flu outbreak every year is considered at least a level 1 pandemic.
What are the differences between the H1N1 pandemic and the usual seasonal flu pandemic? The primary differences seem to be three-fold: H1N1 hit earlier than regular flu season, there's been more activity in the northern hemisphere than usual, and while the regular flu hits elderly people with the highest mortality rate, H1N1 is infecting largely young people.
Why is this flu impacting young people hardest? One theory is that the last time the swine flu hit was in the 1960s, so people who lived through that have antibodies while younger people do not. While some of the young people who have died have been otherwise healthy, for the most part it is young people with underlying medical conditions who have died.
