TORONTO, June 10 /CNW/ -
NEWS
Dr. David Williams, Ontario's Acting Chief Medical Officer of Health,
says there are 484 new confirmed cases of H1N1 flu virus since Friday,
bringing the total number of cases in Ontario to 1,562.
Almost all of the cases reported to date are considered mild. The vast
majority of these cases have recovered.
To date, two people, who had the H1N1 virus and chronic medical
conditions, have died. Ten people who have the H1N1 flu virus were in hospital
as of June 9, a number of whom have underlying medical conditions.
The Ontario cases involve 808 males and 750 females (the gender of four
cases is unknown) with an age range of (less than)1 to 97. The average age of
the cases is 21.
The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care recently provided updated
guidance to health care providers on who should be tested for the H1N1 virus.
Providers have been asked to only have tests performed on patients requiring
hospitalization and on patients at high risk of complications from the flu.
A review of Ontario laboratory tests shows the majority of people who get
tested do not have either seasonal or H1N1 flu. There is little use for
routine testing since it does not alter the treatment of mild cases.
A more focused approach to testing at this point enables Ontario's public
health laboratory system to expedite testing for hospitalized cases and cases
of suspected outbreaks.The breakdown of the cases by health unit is as follows:
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New Total
Confirmed Confirmed
Health Unit Cases Cases
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Toronto 159 669
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Peel Region 116 302
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York Region 71 230
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Halton 38 126
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City of Ottawa 57 108
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Durham Region 22 53
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Simcoe Muskoka District 4 16
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Hamilton 3 10
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Wellington Dufferin Guelph 3 10
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Windsor Essex 5
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Waterloo Region 2 5
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Middlesex-London 4
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Sudbury and District 3
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Niagara Region 2 3
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Hastings and Prince Edward Counties 2
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Kingston, Frontenac, Lennox and
Addington 1 2
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Leeds, Grenville & Lanark 1 2
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Haliburton, Kawartha, Pine Ridge 1 2
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Northwestern 1 2
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Oxford County 1
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Grey Bruce 1
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Perth 1 1
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Eastern Ontario 1 1
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Out of province ((*)) 2 4
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TOTAL 484 1,562
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((*)) - Visitors who were tested and confirmed in Ontario but do not
reside in the province.
QUOTES
"Most of the testing being done right now is often unnecessary since a
majority of the cases are mild and can be diagnosed and treated based on
the symptoms presented to the physician. Since we're asking that only
hospitalized and high risk patients be tested, we expect future reports
will show that the provincial case count is growing at a slower rate."
- Dr. David Williams, Ontario's Acting Chief Medical Officer of Health.
QUICK FACTS
- About 85 per cent of samples sent for H1N1 flu virus testing turn out
to be negative for any kind of flu.
- Symptoms of the H1N1 flu virus are similar to seasonal influenza (flu)
including, chills and cough followed by fever, loss of appetite,
muscle aches and fatigue, runny nose, sneezing, watery eyes and throat
irritation. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea may occur in adults as well
as in children. In more severe cases, or in people with chronic
conditions, complications such as pneumonia may develop.
- People who have symptoms of respiratory illness should contact their
health care provider or call Telehealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000.
- For general information on the H1N1 flu virus, call the ServiceOntario
INFOline at 1-800-476-9708 or visit the Ministry of Health and
Long-Term Care website
(http://webx.newswire.ca/click/?id=7b3b84dca0c1456).
LEARN MORE
For more information about H1N1 flu virus
(http://webx.newswire.ca/click/?id=0e41e5393c7bc00).
To learn more about hand washing
(http://webx.newswire.ca/click/?id=0c4af6eb6329609).
Read about public health initiatives
(http://www.health.gov.on.ca/english/providers/project/ohp/ohp_mn.html)
in the province.
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ontario.ca/health-news
Disponible en français
For further information: Steve Erwin, Minister's Office, (416) 326-3986;
Andrew Morrison, Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care, (416) 314-6197
