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Pandemic Planning

Since June 2009 when the World Health Organization (WHO) made the decision to raise the pandemic alert level of the H1N1 flu virus to a level 6, provincial health ministries across the country have responded quickly in emergency preparedness.
(Level 6 is an indication of the sustained community spread of the virus in more than one continental region, and does not indicate the severity of the illness.)

Among Aboriginal families, concerns continue to rise regarding the emergence of this virus. Urgent measures must be taken to protect the lives of Aboriginal people and Canadians at large. This includes improving the response to pandemic outbreaks of H1N1 among this particularly vulnerable population, and assurance that Aboriginal women will be among the top priorities for vaccine availability once the vaccine has been approved for safety through clinical trials and licensed for distribution. Access to antiviral medications such as ‘Tamiflu’, for Aboriginal women and children is also an issue, as it is often not covered through provincial drug plans and is not on the formulary for First Nations Inuit Health Branch Non-Insured Health Benefits.

The Challenge

In the wake of the H1N1 pandemic, policy makers and health maintenance organizations world-wide have been relatively silent on impact of H1N1 on Canada’s most vulnerable population - Aboriginal women and children. Little has been publicized of how Aboriginal women can play a part in education, prevention and management in a potential outbreak.

The Issue

In the wake of the H1N1 pandemic, policy makers and health maintenance organizations world-wide have been relatively silent on impact of H1N1 on Canada’s most vulnerable population - Aboriginal women and children. Little has been publicized of how Aboriginal women can play a part in education, prevention and management in a potential outbreak.

  • Pregnant women because they are at higher risk of complications and can potentially provide protection to infants who cannot be vaccinated;
  • Household contacts and caregivers for children younger than 6 months of age because younger infants are at higher risk of influenza-related complications and cannot be vaccinated. Vaccination of those in close contact with infants less than 6 months old might help protect infants by “cocooning” them from the virus;
  • Healthcare and emergency medical services personnel because infections among healthcare workers have been reported and this can be a potential source of infection for vulnerable patients.
  • All people from 6 months through 24 years of age
    • Children from 6 months through 18 years of age because we have seen many cases of H1N1 influenza in children and they are in close contact with each other in school and day care settings, which increases the likelihood of disease spread, and
    • Young adults 19 through 24 years of age because we have seen many cases of novel H1N1 influenza in these healthy young adults and they often live, work, and study in close proximity, and they are a frequently mobile population; and,     
  • Persons aged 25 through 64 years who have health conditions associated with higher risk of medical complications from influenza.

Aboriginal women, for the large part contribute to the health and well-being of their families and communities and comprise a major component of the care-giver role, as health care providers in the labour force, and as direct care givers for children and other family members, including the elderly. It must be made clear that Aboriginal women play a vital role in health maintenance and restoration, therefore their health must be protected as an integral part of pandemic planning.

The Opportunity

  • NWAC will continue to lobby government policy makers on behalf of Aboriginal women to ensure that they will be identified as a top priority as care-givers in a vulnerable high-risk population;
  • NWAC will continue to monitor new developments concerning the H1N1 vaccine to ensure that Aboriginal women are not vaccinated prior to completion of all clinical trials to verify the safety and efficacy of the vaccine;
  • NWAC will participate in or undergo a national education, awareness and mass media campaign regarding infection control measures and hand hygiene methods to contain the spread of infection as part of pandemic planning;
  • NWAC will work with partner organizations and Aboriginal women where-ever they may live in the development and/or implementation of pandemic planning to ensure the best possible outcome in the event of an outbreak, and to contain the spread of infection.

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