With flu season just around the corner, federal health authorities have issued new guidelines for front-line health workers to help contain and prevent the spread of H1N1, which is expected to hit a second wave in the fall.
The recommendations include measures such as removing toys and magazines from waiting rooms, screening for swine flu during 911 calls, and keeping emergency room patients in separate rooms if they exhibit respiratory symptoms.
For hospitals with minimal space, waiting room patients should be separated by at least two metres from other patients or workers not exhibiting symptoms, the guidelines advise. And for long-term health care facilities, residents should be screened before moving in and then monitored by staff for flu-like symptoms at least once a day.
The Public Health Agency of Canada released the new guidelines on Wednesday, with specific recommendations for workers in acute care facilities, long-term care facilities and emergency response teams, which include paramedics, ambulance attendants, police and firefighters.
The guidelines also note that people with H1N1 may be infectious for up to seven days and emphasize risk assessment and "source control" strategies as the most effective measures for preventing transmission of H1N1.
In a press release, Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq said the guidelines will equip front-line health workers with the information they need "to stay healthy during the H1N1 influenza outbreak."
"We will continue to update these documents and issue new guidance material on mass gatherings, for businesses, for travellers, for public transit authorities and for other sectors as we learn more about the H1N1 virus," Ms. Aglukkaq said in a press release.
As of Thursday, there have been 59 deaths related to H1N1 in Canada and as of last Saturday, there have been a total of 1,271 hospitalized cases in Canada, with the most cases occurring in Quebec. Symptoms exhibited by infected patients include coughing, sore throat and fever, although infected children under five and adults over 65 may not exhibit fever and children under five may have gastrointestinal symptoms. Other symptoms include joint pain, muscle pain or prostration.
Health officials say H1N1 is still considered a mild disease for most people, with few exceptions. The new guidelines update information last issued in May to medical clinics and hospital wards - some of the other recommendations include:
- Creating separate triage areas for suspected cases in acute care facilities and providing patients with masks
- Suspected H1N1 cases should be treated in single rooms; if single rooms aren't available, similarly infected patients can be grouped together
- 911 dispatchers should question callers to determine if anyone at the "incident location" is exhibiting symptoms of H1N1. If yes, then 911 dispatchers should communicate that risk to paramedics and ambulance attendants before they arrive on scene. Receiving hospitals should also be notified.
- In long-term care facilities, every measure should be taken to prevent people with H1N1 symptoms from entering. This includes signs that remind people not to enter if they're exhibiting symptoms.
- Organized social activities should be cancelled in light of an outbreak in the facility or surrounding community. Family home visits should also be discouraged if a member of the family is exhibiting flu-like symptoms.