First Nation shows off flu plan

The Cowessess First Nation east of Regina says it has a plan in place for dealing with any outbreak of flu. The reserve is being hailed as a model for others.

Leona Aglukkaq, the federal minister of health, spent Thursday touring Cowessesss, which is about 150 kilometres from Regina.

According to a news release from Aglukkaq's ministry the vast majority of First Nations communities — 96 per cent — have pandemic plans in place. The topic is also set to be the focus of a meeting for First Nations and health officials.

During her visit to Cowessess, Aglukkaq praised the work being done to prepare the community.

"What they have here is community involvement that can be repeated in every community," Aglukkaq told CBC News.

Cowesses has about 3,350 members, with an estimated 600 living on the reserve.

The community started its flu preparations four years ago, when the avian flu was in the news.

More recently there has been an intense public education campaign.

"We want to make sure that each household is ready," Alyssa Lerat, a community health educator, told CBC News.

One of the community's innovations is to use a flag system to communicate what is going on.

Homes will have a kit that includes seven coloured flags to relay different messages.

Posting a white flag tells people that everyone in the home is OK. Blue means the house needs water. Black indicates that there has been a death in the home.

The community is also getting lots of hands-on instructions on hand washing and other basic sanitation measures to prevent the spread of the flu.

"Cowessess wants to stand on its own two feet," Lerat said.