'Expedite' H1N1 shots: Ontario to feds

The federal government should speed up approval of the H1N1 vaccine if possible, Ontario's health minister says.

David Caplan said Thursday that Ontario could get the vaccine into people's hands quickly, but it can't be administered until it is licensed by Health Canada officials, who want to be assured of its safety and effectiveness first – a process that could take three weeks. 

"I'm urging the federal government to show some leadership and, as we're seeing in the United States, expedite the approval process so that we can get [the vaccine] deployed as quickly as we possibly can," Caplan said.

"But unfortunately, that's beyond the control of provincial governments."

Second wave arrived?

Caplan downplayed reports that a second wave of swine flu may have arrived in the province, with six new cases cases reported this week.

Schools in Hamilton are experiencing two outbreaks of flu, including one confirmed to be H1N1.

"It is a bit earlier than our usual flu season, however, it is not unanticipated," said Michelle Baird of Hamilton Public Health.

Meanwhile, Toronto Public Health confirmed its first case of flu in September. Normally, the city doesn't confirm a case until November.

Schools in Toronto have been told to alert health officials when absenteeism hits 10 per cent or higher. So far, no such increases have been reported.

Releasing Tamiflu stockpiles

Elsewhere on Thursday, the British Columbia government started delivering an antiviral drug from its stockpile to those in need at no cost.

Taking Tamiflu within the first 24 hours of becoming ill will lessen flu symptoms, reduce the risk of transmission and, most importantly to public health officials, decrease the risk of complications such as respiratory failure.

B.C. saw its million-dose stockpile of Tamiflu was approaching expiry and decided to put it to use at pharmacies, said Dr. Perry Kendall, the provincial health officer.

"We don't want people taking it for a cold or for allergies and we don't want people just just filling it and keeping it in their fridge on the off chance," Kendall said. "Otherwise, there's going be an awful lot of wasted drugs."

The free Tamiflu is meant for pregnant women and people who have underlying medical conditions. A course of treatment normally costs about $50.

Kendall urged those is such high-risk groups to get prescriptions from their doctors ahead of time, but he said the prescriptions shouldn't be filled unless flu symptoms appear and a patient talks to their doctor.

"If you've got a serious underlying lung illness for example, it's not a bad idea to talk to the doctor about 'what's our strategy' for getting the antiviral in the event that I get the flu," said Dr. David Patrick of the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, given that it may be difficult to get to a doctor's office quickly.

B.C.'s strategy of giving away the antiviral away will soon be matched by Ontario, which has a similar plan in place.

Tamiflu will not prevent swine flu. The H1N1 injection, which is meant to prevent the infection, is expected to be available by mid-November, well after flu season starts.