April 28, 2009

Dr. David Williams, Ontario’s Acting Chief Medical Officer of Health, says there are four confirmed cases of swine flu in Ontario.

All cases involved travel to Mexico. Laboratory testing has confirmed that the swine flu virus is the same as the one in Mexico and the United States.

Three of the cases are in Durham Region and one is in York Region.

All four cases are considered mild and the individuals are recovering at home.

With the World Health Organization moving to pandemic alert level 4, Ontario now is :

• Providing additional guidance to the health care sector in support of early identification and treatment of cases
• Escalating communication activities to ensure the health care system and public are aware of the current situation and actions they should be taking
• Activating its Emergency Operations Centre. The centre is supported by a scientific response team, with experts drawn from the Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion and the Provincial Infectious Diseases Advisory Committee, to provide Dr. Williams and other ministry officials with technical and scientific advice.

Ontario is working very closely with the Public Health Agency of Canada, and all provinces and territories.

“With the first confirmed cases of swine flu in Ontario, we will continue our surveillance efforts across the province using established public health practices and protocols,” said Dr. David Williams, Ontario’s Acting Chief Medical Officer of Health. “Ontarians should know that we are fully prepared should more severe cases appear in the province.”

“We are fortunate to have dedicated and highly trained health care professionals who are doing all they can to meet this latest challenge,” said David Caplan, Ontario Minister of Health and Long Term Care. “We are working closely with our national and international partners on how best to respond to this situation.”

• People who have symptoms of respiratory illness should contact their health care provider or call TeleHealth Ontario at 1-866-797-0000.
• For general information on the swine flu, call the ServiceOntario INFOline at 1-800-476-9708.

Read about public health initiatives in the province.

For further information :

For public inquiries call ServiceOntario, INFOline at 1-866-532-3161 (Toll-free in Ontario only)

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