Public health officials say to brace for a "nasty" resurgence of the H1N1 flu virus when schools reopen in September, but are not recommending that schools close to prevent the spread of infection.
Dr. Perry Kendall, B.C.'s public health officer delivered the message at a press conference in Vancouver Monday, Aug. 24 alongside Healthy Living and Sport Minister Ida Chong and Dr. Bonnie Henry, director of public health emergency management for the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.
The decision to recommend that schools remain open was based on research done since the initial outbreak in the spring and watching the virus's behaviour in Southern Hemisphere countries like Australia, New Zealand and Argentina, all of which are in their active flu seasons.
Unlike in the spring, when several schools in B.C. were closed, Kendall said health officials have more information to work with now and the H1N1 virus, also known as "swine flu," doesn't appear to be as dangerous as expected.
"The impact has clearly been closer to a moderate flu year than what we've been anticipating in the worst case scenarios," he said.
Kendall said schools are an ideal breeding ground for the virus and are likely a starting point for the spread of infection.
"Typically the viruses are introduced into the younger population who have no resistance. The kids in the school amplify the virus and spread it around. It then moves into their families. It then moves into the broader community," he said. "When the kids come back to school, they'll bring the virus back with them and we'll see the seasonal flu outbreak except we'll see it, probably, in the fall rather than in the winter and spring."
But, Kendall said, closing the schools would cause a social disruption more serious than the illness itself and that for most, H1N1 will be no worse than most common strains of flu.
"For the majority of people who get ill, it will be a nasty illness experience, but they will manage perfectly well at home," he said.
Kendall said the province has three lines of defence for H1N1 including prevention, antiviral drugs and vaccinations. He said residents can reduce the risk of infection by frequent hand washing with soap and water, keeping commonly touched surfaces clean and directing coughs or sneezes into a tissue or their shirt sleeve.
Antiviral drugs, which are stocked in abundance in B.C., should be considered by high-risk groups including pregnant women in their second and third trimesters as well as women who have recently given birth, people with underlying conditions like cardiovascular problems, diabetes, compromised immune systems and people with morbid obesity.
Vaccinations, Kendall said, should be ready for distribution by the end of December.
School District No. 46 (SD46) superintendent Deborah Palmer said the school district has been in communication with Kendall on the issue and plans are in place. She said SD46 will be sending letters home with information informing parents and students on H1N1.
"If we start to see [absenteeism] heading over 10 per cent then we'll bring in extra custodial staff to do an extra thorough cleaning and keep an eye on it," Palmer said.
School closures must be done in consultation with the chief medical health officer, the school board and the provincial medical health officer, Palmer said. The last time SD46 closed a school was during the Norwalk virus outbreak in 2006.
Overall, Palmer said, SD46 is prepared for H1N1, but needs cooperation from families to keep the illness to a minimum.
"We're feeling really confident that we're prepared in the event that we have a high percentage of students out with the flu and we ask the community to pay attention to the information coming home and remind their children about best practice with regards to cleanliness," she said.
