Genesis Fertility Clinic Blog
searching: “h1n1”
October 21, 2009
Pandemic H1N1
When I hear “h1n1” I shudder. I shudder out of confusion, fear, and cynicism all at once.
Fear: It seems h1n1 is going to be a major health concern as 11 people in BC have died already and one of them was completely healthy and young. Yikes. A random sampling of British Columbians who have a flu-like illness demonstrated that the virus that gave them the flu is h1n1 in almost all cases. Yikes.
Confusion: one week we are not to get the seasonal flu vaccine before the h1n1 vaccine because it could affect it’s efficacy. This week we are to get the seasonal flu vaccine (if you qualify) now. One week the h1n1 vaccine will be here mid-November, now it’s available to high risk groups starting next week and to the public mid-November.
Cynicism: are public health agencies causing a stir over what will be a mild flu for most? MacLean’s magazine’s headline this week is “Swin Flu Fiasco.” Polls say less than 30% of the population plans to be vaccinated. I really feel for those in public health because if they do a great job and educate and vaccinate the majority of the population the flu will have minimal impact and then people will say they alarmed us for nothing. If public health officials don’t do enough to prevent the flu people will blame them for being complacent. Lose lose in public health these days.
At Genesis, we set up an h1n1 committee to review information from the BC CDC, BC Women’s Hospital, Fraser Health, Vancouver Coastal Health and try to determine what we should do as a clinic for our patients and staff. In summary: do everything you can to prevent getting it (hand washing/sanitizing), stay home if you are sick and get vaccinated.
For now when we call you to remind you of your appointment you will be asked if you have flu-like symptoms. If you do we’ll going to try to convert your in-person consultation to a phone consultation so you don’t have to come to the clinic or else re-book your appointment.
If you arrive at Genesis with a flu-like illness, we’ll be asking you to clean your hands, wear a mask and we will potentially isolate you from others. Staff will stay home if they have the flu and virtually all of us will be vaccinated once the vaccine become available.
For more information you can download the H1N1 FAQ (this is a PDF).
Stay well!
Dr. Beth Taylor, MD, FRCSC
Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility