First Nations calls for swine flu state of emergency

First Nations chiefs in Manitoba called on the provincial and federal governments to declare a state of emergency on Wednesday because of the spread of swine flu on reserves and the lag time in responding to it.

Ron Evans, the Grand Chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs sais his people were "too much risk for this situation to continue any longer ... We've had enough." --------->

“With the H1N1 virus spreading rapidly through the communities and supplies taking nearly a month to be delivered, the First Nations people are at too much risk for this situation to continue any longer,” Ron Evans, the Grand Chief of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs, said in a statement. “We’ve had enough.”

The Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs issued the plea for more help after meeting in Winnipeg and said there is a “rising sense of worry” about the looming fall flu season.

The request for a state of emergency comes on the heels of controversial testimony that was heard on Tuesday at a Senate committee in Ottawa that was studying the spread of the human swine flu virus, also called H1N1, among Aboriginal Canadians.

Anne-Marie Robinson, assistant deputy minister of Health Canada’s First Nations and Inuit Health Branch, told the committee that discussions took place between chiefs and public health officials about sending alcohol-based products into communities with addiction problems because there have been “rare” cases where it has been problematic. Some commonly used hand sanitizer products can contain upward of 60 per cent alcohol. Ms. Robinson would not disclose which reserves had been involved in the discussions and never linked the talks with the “difficulty” she acknowledged was experienced in getting hand sanitizer to some of the chiefs who had asked for it.

More than half of the homes in the community of 4,000 do not have running water and people cannot wash their hands frequently with soap and water as a preventive measure, hand sanitizer was in high demand.

Chief Harper said he waited for more than two weeks for hand sanitizer and other supplies to arrive, by which point he already had purchased $15,000 worth of merchandise.

“Nobody said anything about why there was a hold back,” said Chief Harper. Although he was one of the chiefs who had asked for hand sanitizer, concerns were never raised with him about their alcohol content by federal officials.

“They could have called us, they could have let us know they had a concern on this,” said Chief Harper. “But what I think personally is, they weren’t even ready. I know for a fact they weren’t ready because nothing kicked in right away.”

Chief Harper said he has heard before of people ingesting hand sanitizer to get intoxicated and that his own band council talked about the alcohol-based products because Garden Hill is a dry reserve where alcohol isn’t allowed. He said they quickly identified alternative products and there’s no excuse for the delay in getting supplies to Garden Hill when so many people were getting sick.

A shipment of 2,500 bottles of sanitizer did arrive in GardenHill last week from the federal government -- they were alcohol-based. Some has been distributed to families and some of the stock is being kept at the school and a police station.

According to Health Canada, once the decision to send hand sanitizer to northern Manitoba reserves was made, it was received in a timely manner. In an e-mail response to a request for an interview, the department said the decision was made in concert with provincial health authorities and First Nations leadership.

“Given the logistical challenges inherent to identifying sufficient sources of supply for hand sanitizer, as well as making arrangements for these shipments to be delivered to remote communities, Health Canada ensured delivery in timely manner,” the response stated.

Nunavut getting set for H1N1 vaccination

Federal officials have confirmed they have a Canadian manufacturer for the vaccine who should be able to supply enough of the serum this fall for everyone who wants it or needs it, Nunavut’s deputy medical officer of health, Dr. Geraldine Osborne, told Nunatsiaq News this week.

She said they know the vaccine should be available by November. Federal, provincial and territorial officials are meeting to hammer out details.

Health officials around the world are trying to prepare for the return of colder, wetter weather in the fall, when they fear the virus may come back in a more dangerous form.

“It will take a lot of work to roll out the vaccine program,” Osborne said. “We’ll have to hire extra staff.”

She noted that the H1N1 vaccine will probably require two doses, which will be in addition to the regular “seasonal flu” vaccination program.

Nunavut’s health department will also mount a marketing campaign to make sure everyone knows the program is available, and to encourage as many people as possible to be vaccinated.

Osborne said that just as with the seasonal flu vaccine, it is recommended for everyone over six months old, but especially for people at extra risk, including pregnant women and those with chronic health issues such as diabetes, cancer or heart or lung problems.

The number of confirmed cases of the H1N1 virus in Nunavut jumped by more than five per cent in the first few days of this month.

It increased from 465 on July 29 to 489 by Aug. 4, Osborne said. Twenty-four new cases were identified, mainly in the Qikiqtani region.

A breakdown of the Aug. 4 figures show 53 per cent of cases occurring in the Kivalliq region, 30.5 per cent in the Kitikmeot, and 16.5 per cent in Qikiqtani.

Those numbers represent the total cases in the territory since the first one was confirmed here May 28. The vast majority of the people who have contracted H1N1 did not require hospital treatment, and have recovered.

The cumulative numbers “just go up every day,” Osborne said. “I’m really more concerned about the hospitalized cases, and the serious cases that end up in intensive care.”

Four Nunavummiut with the virus were treated in hospital as of Aug. 4, she said, and one of those was in intensive care. Altogether, 44 people from Nunavut have been sent to hospital.

The territory recorded its first swine-flu fatality July 15 — a pregnant woman from the Kivalliq who had been in hospital since June 24.

See the complete story on Nunatsiaq News Online .