What's the 411 with the H1N1 ?!

A third Manitoban has died of H1N1 this week, bringing Manitoba’s death toll up to ten. The latest death comes as the last of Winnipeg’s mass immunization clinics are preparing to close their doors leaving many Manitobans unvaccinated, and still vulnerable to the deadly disease.

Registered Nurse Practitioner, Julie Hesketh, of the Carman Public Health Unit, says that after the seemingly H1N1 caused death of a young boy in Toronto, Manitobans were in a panic to get vaccinated. “We didn’t get nearly the amount of vaccine that was expected. In an area that has 6000 to 8000 people we only had enough vaccine for 200 doses in the first two weeks. We could only give it to people on the priority list, but everyone wanted it.”

The virus has continued to circulate throughout the province, with 1,697 more confirmed cases since this spring, a total of 2589 since April. Health officials are saying that lab-confirmed cases do not reflect the actual number of people in the province who may have the virus. Officials add that despite good levels of vaccination in the province, the virus should still be taken very seriously and that people who still want the vaccine should go and get the shot. Fifteen serious negative reactions to the H1N1 vaccine have been reported to the Public Health Agency of Canada and are being investigated.

The WRHA is working with schools to offer the H1N1 vaccine at post-secondary institutions in the province. The University of Manitoba has been home to a public mass distribution clinic for the Fort Garry area. The University of Winnipeg held a clinic on Dec. 2, Red River College held one on Dec. 1 at its Notre Dame Campus and on Dec. 4 at the Princess Street Campus. Holding the clinics in schools has been a motivator for students to get immunized. “I only went to get it because they basically brought it right to me,” says Jenny Allison*, a Red River College student currently attending classes at the Notre Dame Campus, “I’m from out of town, and I wasn’t going to make a special trip to get the shot.”

With hype over the vaccinations dying down, holding clinics at schools has brought out much higher numbers of students who otherwise wouldn’t be getting the vaccine. “Most people that came back were older adults who had been turned away in the first few weeks,” Hesketh explains. “There’s a gap with older teens and young adults who aren’t getting vaccinated. Putting clinics in schools has helped to reach that gap.”

Hesketh feels that there is still reason to be vaccinated. “Among the people in the province who aren’t vaccinated, 50 per cent are without H1N1, and they aren’t even sure if they’ve had a mild case or not.”
While Hesketh believes all Manitobans should receive the vaccine, she is confident that shutting down mass clinics is a step in the right direction. “The vaccine is delivered in bottles with 10-15 doses per bottle,” says Hesketh, “each bottle costs 700 dollars and is only good for 24 hours. It’s a waste of medicine for us to stock that much vaccine only to have one or two people come in per day. We’ve gotten past that stage in the plan.”

Despite the pending closure of the city’s mass immunization clinics, Hesketh remains confident that all Manitobans who want the vaccine will be able to get it. “It’s going to be a little less convenient for some people, but in the end everyone who needs it is going to get it.” She says, “It’s going to be a challenge to prevent any more deaths, but we’re taking it step by step.”