News Conference with Minister of Health and Chief Public Health Officer

The Honourable Minister of Health, Leona Aglukkaq
April 29, 2009 – 4:30 PM (EST)

Thank you.  Before I begin, this morning I went to visit the Emergency Operations Centre of the Public Health Agency and I also placed a call to the staff in the Winnipeg operation.

I want to thank all the staff that are working really hard 24/7 to deal with this situation.

Again, thank you for being here.  As I've said in the past and I repeat here again today that our government will continue to provide Canadians with timely and accurate information no the human swine flu situation. 

As you know, there have been three new confirmed cases that were reported earlier this afternoon in British Columbia and three more new cases in Ontario.  This brings the total of confirmed cases in Canada to 19.  Thankfully, these latest cases, like the ones previously confirmed in Canada, have been mild.

Once again, the government and public health officials anticipated new cases would arise.  These developments do not change our course of action.  We will continue to follow our six-point plan
of surveillance, domestic and international cooperation, vaccine development, antiviral stockpiling, health service guidelines and ongoing communication with Canadians.

The federal government remains vigilant.  The provincial and territorial governments remain vigilant and local governments remain vigilant.  We will continue to work together as long as it takes.  We also continue to work with our international partners.

Last night I was contacted by the Mexican Minister of Health Jose Cordova.  Minister Cordova asked for Canada's help by having the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg to test a collection of new samples from Mexico.  I agreed immediately and directed the Public Health Agency of
Canada to work with the Mexicans during this process.  Along with my colleague, Minister MacKay, Canadian officials were able to clear the way for a plane to land early this morning in Winnipeg and for the testing to begin immediately.

As Canada's Minister of Health, I continue to be in contact with my counterparts around the world and across Canada.  In addition, the Minister of Labour has issued a bulletin to all federally-regulated employers to remind them of their obligations concerning health and safety measures in
the work place.  The Ministers of Trade and Agriculture have issued a statement reassuring Canadians that human swine flu influenza cannot be contracted through eating pork or pork products.

Our government and the Prime Minister continue to place the highest priority on protecting the health and safety of Canadians and we'll continue to provide updates as information becomes available.

I also want to make one final point.  Regardless of what level the World Health Organization decides to set its pandemic alert, I want to reassure Canadians that our government is prepared to deal with this situation head on.  We have a plan.  We are executing that plan and we'll do whatever it takes to protect Canadians and their families during this time.

Thank you and I would now like to turn to Dr. David Butler-Jones for more updates.  Thank you.

 

Dr. David Butler-Jones, Chief Public Health Officer

Bonjour. Thank you Minister and thank you all again for being here today. 

Now, we've just heard that the World Health Organization has raised its pandemic alert phase to Level 5.

This means that sustained human-to-human spread of this virus has been seen in at least two countries in one WHO region. This also means that the WHO feels that the risk of this becoming a pandemic virus is high.

I'm sure many people will be anxious upon hearing this, however, for Canada, it does not mean a change in what we are facing and how we approach it.  As you know, we already have cases in Canada and as we continue our surveillance we will find more and more cases.  And as of any form of influenza some will be more severe and unfortunately, we may see some deaths as well.

Canada's own responses to this situation are adapted to the needs of our population. We have a Canadian Pandemic Influenza Plan. We have been following it. We will continue and adapt our surveillance, infection prevention measures, and communications as our own the situation dictates.

As part of our joint North American efforts, the Public Health Agency's National Microbiology Lab has agreed to assist the Government of Mexico with the testing of 200 specimens.

Across North America, the response to this outbreak has truly been a great example of international collaboration. Assisting Mexico is the right thing to do. But on top of that, we know by now that infectious diseases just don't respect borders, and so anything we can do to help our neighbours helps us protect our own citizens as well.

Today, six new cases have been confirmed – three in British Columbia and three in Ontario. This brings the total number of confirmed cases in Canada to 19. All cases are the same strain of human swine influenza that has been found in the United States and Mexico.

These new cases are in line with what public health officials anticipated and our course of action remains the same.

We are following our national plan and working to reduce the effects of a possible pandemic.  As the situation here, and around the world keeps changing, we adapt our response accordingly.

Starting today, Quarantine Officers will be at all Canadian airports that have direct flights from Mexico landing there. 

These trained public health professionals will assess passengers who are ill to determine if they need to discontinue their travel, monitor their symptoms, or, in more severe cases, be admitted to hospital.

Tracking the early cases of this outbreak is key to our understanding of the virus. The more we know about who the virus is affecting, and how, the better we can adapt our approach to dealing with it.

The Public Health Agency of Canada has developed interim guidelines for health professionals to help in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and reporting of human swine influenza.

Now, many people are asking about the potential for a vaccine and access to antivirals.

As a first step, our scientists are working to find out more about this strain of human swine influenza.

Having identified the genetic makeup of this virus, we are creating what we call a “seed vaccine” – that's used to develop the actual usable vaccine. The entire process can take up to six months.

I'd like to clarify the difference between vaccines and antivirals – in simple terms, a vaccine actually makes you immune to the virus so you have protection against being infected, while an antiviral is a drug used to treat you when you're sick, hopefully reducing the severity of the illness.

The Public Health Agency recommends only very limited use of antivirals at this time. It's a choice between doctor and patient, but it generally shouldn't be used unless someone is very ill or is at high risk of complications of influenza.

Basically if you would not have considered antiviral six months ago there is no reason to do so now.  In fact, inappropriate use could increase the risk of resistance and the drug would not be as effective if we needed it in the event for more severe illness.

A lot of the media coverage we are seeing is showing people wearing masks and I'd like to address that issue as well.

We are not recommending that people in Canada wear masks in this situation.

Our research shows that wearing masks actually does very little to reduce the spread of infection in the general population and that improper use may actually increase your risk of getting ill.

The exception to this is patients in hospitals or clinics that are exhibiting flu symptoms. These patients may be asked to wear a mask in order to reduce the risk that they will spread the disease to others. Doctors, nurses and other caregivers may also choose to wear a mask in this situation.

In Canada, we are responding to this outbreak according to our plans and we are working to reduce the effects of a possible pandemic.  We have planned for this for years and now is the time to apply that experience and skill.

Thank you.  Merci.  I'm happy to take your questions.