Immunization Newsbriefs © Copyright Information Inc., Bethesda, MD. Brought to you by the National Network for Immunization Information (NNii). Visit NNii’s new website at http://www.immunizationinfo.org.

July 9, 2001

“Canada Prepares for Killer Flu”

Ottawa Citizen (www.ottawacitizen.com) (07/08/01) P. A1; MacLeod,

Ian

According to Health Canada, a flu epidemic similar to the epidemics in 1957 and 1968 that killed 1 million people worldwide is expected in the next five to 10 years.  Scientists believe the flu will originate in China, where people and livestock live in very close proximity, so the United States, Japan, and now Canada are working to set up flu monitoring stations in China.  A new vaccine would take about six months to create and run through clinical trials, and a city like Ottawa would take two months to vaccinate.  Ottawa’s Associate Medical Officer of Health, Edward Ellis, points out that, based on Ontario’s new universal flu vaccination program, city officials have “learned that we can easily organize clinics of 1,000 to 1,500 people, we learned the kinds of places to have clinics, the staffing that we need, the fact that, realistically, we could probably immunize the entire city within two months, if we had to.”  Preparations are based on calculations that 560,000 people in Ottawa alone will become infected with the flu during an epidemic, with an estimated 225 to 825 Ottawa residents dying over several months.  Canada plans to contribute about C$100,000 to the surveillance effort each year, a sum similar to the amount contributed by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.  The money will go towards setting up laboratories and training Chinese lab personnel.

ALL INFORMATION, DATA, AND MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR LEGAL ADVICE.  THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.