News Conference with Minister of Health and Chief Public Health Officer

The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health
November 25, 2009 - 11:30 EST

Thank you, and welcome to our technical briefing on the H1N1 flu virus in Canada.  I’ll begin with some promising news— although nationally we have yet to reach the peak of the second wave of the virus, we are beginning to see a levelling off of influenza activity in many communities across the country. There are fewer positive flu tests and fewer flu outbreaks in schools.    

Monday marks the 5th week since Canada’s largest immunization campaign began.  I want to congratulate provinces, territories, health authorities and practitioners for their hard work during this critical period.  Our collective efforts are clearly paying off.  By the end of this week, we will have distributed over 15 million doses across the country, enough to vaccinate half of all Canadians.  There is more to come— there will be enough vaccine for every Canadian who wants it.

But influenza remains an unpredictable disease, and reaching the peak of the second wave in some communities does not mean the pandemic is over.  I strongly encourage those Canadians who haven’t been immunized to get their vaccine. I plan to get my shot this week.

Thank you. Dr. Butler-Jones will now deliver a few remarks.

Dr. David Butler-Jones, Chief Public Health Officer

As the Minister said, we do have some good news to report this week.  However, current flu activity levels are still well above the expected range for this time of year and the risk of community transmission remains high—so we can’t get complacent.  The source of this information is FluWatch, the national surveillance system that monitors for and identifies trends in the spread of influenza and influenza-like illnesses in Canada on an ongoing basis.  You can check FluWatch yourself—it’s updated every Friday afternoon on the Public Health Agency’s website.

Let me elaborate on these most recent trends.  For the week ending November 14th, the number of reported hospitalizations was still increasing, with 1674 hospitalizations and 261 ICU admissions.  There were 84 deaths reported that week.  However, as the Minister said, the good news is that we are beginning to see a levelling off of flu activity in some communities.  We say it is levelling off because in those communities, the number of positive flu tests has fallen and there have been fewer reports of flu outbreaks in schools.  This is in line with what some Northern Hemisphere countries are seeing.  However, in the last few weeks, the number of people with influenza-like illness seeking medical treatment was 4-7 times higher than what is usually seen at this time of the year for seasonal flu.  Unfortunately, we can also expect more deaths and cases of infection in the weeks to come, as the flu season advances.  

While it may appear to some that these updates offer little more than a cold recitation of facts, we are acutely aware of the profound implications these facts can have for Canadians.  Last week, we reported on the rate of adverse events associated with the H1N1 vaccine.  Safety is our priority: that is why we implemented an aggressive vaccine surveillance strategy when we approved the H1N1 flu vaccine for use.  The Government of Canada takes very seriously all reported side effects, mild or serious.  All reports of serious adverse events associated with the H1N1 vaccine received weekly from the provinces and territories are investigated to determine whether there is a link with the vaccine, or if they have been caused by other factors.  Transparency is key to vaccine safety and we are committed to posting weekly updates on adverse events associated with the H1N1 vaccine.

As of November 14th, there have been 148 serious adverse events reported to the Public Health Agency, following the distribution of approximately 8.24 million doses of vaccine.  The current serious adverse event reporting rate for H1N1 flu vaccine distributed in the first three weeks of the H1N1 vaccine campaign is 1.8 per 100,000 doses distributed. This is a higher-than-average reporting rate, but it is not cause for concern at this point.  The average rate for any vaccine  is 1 per every 100,000 doses.  These increased total numbers and reporting rates are a sign that our enhanced vaccine monitoring system is working.  Many of the new reports are likely due to heightened awareness of the vaccine, with increased reporting by healthcare providers and consumers who might not otherwise report adverse events.  Just to be really clear here, the events that have been reported are not confirmed events.  This means that investigations may well reveal that a certain number of these are attributable to other factors.  The adverse events that have been reported do not in any way change our message to Canadians to get vaccinated. The H1N1 vaccine is safe and effective.

Influenza remains an unpredictable disease, and reaching the peak of the second wave in some communities does not mean the pandemic is over.  As provinces and territories open up their vaccination campaigns to the general public, I urge you to get your vaccine as soon as you can.  In communities where flu activity is still high, mass immunization can result in a more rapid levelling off of flu activity and an earlier peak. In communities where flu activity is levelling off or possibly decreasing, immunization is still effective in reducing the risk of severe disease and death.  Even after a large second wave, many people will not have been infected. They will remain susceptible to the virus, making subsequent waves possible.  Our best protection against this is to vaccinate as many people as possible.  Therefore, we strongly encourage those Canadians who haven’t yet been immunized to get their vaccine.  During past pandemics, there have sometimes been more than two waves of influenza activity.  By encouraging all Canadians to take the H1N1 flu vaccine, our goal is to lessen the impact of the current wave and of any further waves of activity.

Thank you.  Merci.