Ontario currently has no confirmed cases of swine flu, but the province's chief medical officer of health suspects it's just a matter of time.
"With the province being the size it is, and with the amount of travel back and forth to Mexico, I would anticipate we'll have some of those cases similar to the United States, where there is mild or moderate cases," Dr. David Williams told a news conference on Monday.
The province is getting prepared for any potential outbreak of the fast-moving virus, he said, noting Canada's largest province is at Phase Three footing for pandemic preparation.
The highest level of preparation is Phase Four, he said the moves upwards are incremental in nature.
However, shortly after Williams' news conference, the World Health Organization announced it was raising its pandemic alert level to Phase Four.
Before Williams spoke, Health Minister David Caplan said between 10 and 12 suspected swine flu cases are under investigation in the province.
He also said it's a matter of time before confirmed cases do appear here.
"In a province this large, where people do have the kind of mobility (they have), it is highly likely that we will see cases in Ontario," he said. "We are ready if and when they do arrive, but I think that just given the numbers, it is a likely occurrence."
Elsewhere in Canada, four cases have been confirmed in Nova Scotia and two in British Columbia. All those illnesses are linked to travel to Mexico.
No deaths or severe illness have been reported yet in Canada.
In Ottawa, Dr. David Butler-Jones, Canada's chief public health officer, warned that more Canadians will get ill and some will die from swine flu. "Simply because we're seeing mild symptoms so far does not mean we can take this for granted," he said.
In Mexico, 149 deaths are believed to be linked to swine flu. Almost 2,000 people are hospitalized with severe respiratory problems, but the Mexican government doesn't know how many are swine flu.
The Public Health Agency of Canada has issued an advisory against non-essential travel to Mexico. Canada will require temporary foreign workers from Mexico to undergo a pre-departure exam by two doctos.
What to do
Williams said swine flu appears to be spread much like colds and other respiratory viruses.
As preventive measures, people should wash their hands frequently and cough or sneeze into their sleeve, he said.
Those Ontarians who have general questions about swine flu can call the ServiceOntario INFOline at 1-800-476-9708.
If someone has flu-like symptoms and believe they may have swine flu, they should call Telehealth at 1-866-797-0000.
Symptoms include:
- fever
- cough
- fatigue
- muscle aches and pains
- vomiting and diarrhea (in some cases)
If people feel ill, they should stay away from work and consult with their physician, he said.
Dr. Neil Rau, an infectious diseases specialist in Toronto, said people can be contagious a day before symptoms appear for at least a week afterwards.
"My advice is there's no need to panic," Williams said.
SARS
Toronto had to deal with the SARS crisis in the spring of 2003, a respiratory virus that left 44 people dead and thousands ill.
A commission of inquiry found the authorities couldn't have prevented the first wave of infections in March of that year, but that it could have been brought under control more quickly had the public health and disease surveillance systems been in better condition.
The second wave of SARS hit in May and June. The report didn't say whether it could have been prevented, but it could have been caught sooner.
Caplan insisted the province has learned from those days.
"Our ability to be able to respond, to identify, to contain and to be able to control these kinds of situations is increased because of our understanding of what happened during SARS," he said.
"Ontarians should have tremendous confidence in the ability of this province to be able to respond."
However, the opposition parties challenged Caplan's claim.
They say that 13 of the province's 26 local health units don't have a pandemic plan.
"It was quite shocking personally, particularly when it was pointed out in the auditor general's 2007 report, that one-third of the units did not have a local plan in place," said Elizabeth Witmer, the Progressive Conservative health critic.
"It's absolutely critical that you have not only a provincial plan but also a plan in each local health unit."
The NDP said the government is ill-prepared to communicate with the public on swine flu.
"The government has on two occasion shown that it is not prepared, both with SARS and then with listeriosis," said Leader Andrea Horwath.
"Three times and you're out, and I think this government is not doing what it needs to do to keep Ontarians informed, and not making sure that the things that need to be in place at public health units are in place."
Williams said the province has made great strides since the SARS episode, particularly in developing the Ontario Pandemic Flu Response Plan, which has already been updated in response to the current threat.
"We didn't have that during SARS. We were struggling to put those resources together," he said.
With files from The Canadian Press
