H1N1 targets youth
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Updated: July 28, 2009 12:32 PM
The H1N1 flu virus that spread out of Mexico this spring has shown a preference for younger people, with those aged five to 24 making up a larger proportion of cases.
Dr. Perry Kendall, B.C.’s provincial health officer, expects that there will be a surge of cases when school resumes in September. Until then, summer camps are a focus of efforts to prevent the spread through hand washing, coughing and sneezing into a tissue or shirt sleeve, and staying home if fever or respiratory symptoms appear.
“While this particular virus normally doesn’t make children more ill than the usual seasonal flu virus, we are taking extra precautions to ensure everyone is well informed to help lessen the spread among summer campers,” Kendall said.
As of mid-July, there were 382 confirmed cases in B.C., most of which have been mild with people recovering on their own. One seven-year-old boy from Surrey with underlying health problems has been confirmed to have died from H1N1 flu, and a young woman died who may have been exposed to the virus in a group home.
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