Swine flu cases in Manitoba spike to 119 with 42 reported Friday

The number of confirmed swine flu cases in Manitoba has shot to 119 with the addition of 42 new infections reported by provincial health officials on Friday.

It is the single largest load of new cases announced to date in the province. In the past three days, a combined 80 new cases of the H1N1 influenza virus have been confirmed by provincial authorities.

The majority of the cases in Manitoba are from two health regions: Winnipeg and Burntwood-Churchill, which account for 49 and 47, respectively.

No information was provided by the province on the ages, gender or specific communities of the latest cases. The government's protocol has been to not reveal which communities have confirmed cases, for fear it will stigmatize them.

The Burntwood-Churchill region encompasses many of the northern First Nations communities that have been hit particularly hard by the flu outbreak.

Aboriginal leaders confirmed earlier this week that Garden Hill First Nation has two confirmed cases while St. Theresa Point First Nation has nine.

A total of 38 people have been airlifted out of Garden Hill in the last month to hospitals in Manitoba, while 27 from St. Theresa Point have been sent to hospital in Winnipeg. The two communities are near one another, about 500 kilometres northeast of Winnipeg.

Anyone who has symptoms of flu-like illness, such as fever, cough, aches and tiredness, is most contagious for three to four days, but it is possible to spread the disease for up to a week once symptoms start to appear, provincial health officials said.

They advised anyone exhibiting symptoms to:

• Stay home from school or work while ill and limit unnecessary contact with others.
• Contact a health-care provider or visit the nearest health-care centre if concerned about advice or care, or especially if symptoms are severe or worsening (i.e. shortness of breath, dehydration, worsening fever, cough or weakness).

Manitobans should continue to take the following precautions:

• Cover a cough or sneeze by coughing or sneezing into your elbow or sleeve or using a tissue to cover your nose and mouth.
• Wash your hands often with soap and water, especially after you cough or sneeze. Hand sanitizers are also effective.
• Limit touching of your eyes, nose or mouth.
• Take steps to maintain your health by taking care of yourself and those in your care, including eating a healthy, balanced diet, avoiding cigarette smoke and other harmful substances, being active and getting enough rest and sleep.

Anyone seeking advice or care can call Health Links at 204-788-8200 or 1-888-315-9257.