Manitoba Health and Healthy Living is reporting a surge in the number of people requiring intensive care for influenza-like illnesses.
The influenza outbreak is province-wide and it is expected there will be cases in communities across Manitoba. Most Manitobans who become ill are experiencing relatively mild cases of influenza illness and have not required hospitalization. Manitoba has experienced an increased concentration of severe respiratory illness admitted to the intensive-care units, which is higher in number than previous influenza outbreaks. The majority of the cases are in people of Aboriginal descent.
The Public Health Agency of Canada has provided three epidemiologists to Manitoba to assist in assessing Manitoba’s cases of influenza-like illness.
The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority (WRHA) is taking steps to provide enough support in intensive-care units (ICUs) and prioritizing patients for personal-care home beds. There are also 15 additional ventilators that have arrived and will be put to use as needed. The WRHA may also defer non-urgent surgical procedures that would normally require ICU care.
To date, Manitoba has 40 confirmed cases of H1N1 from six health regions.
