Health protection and promotion agency to study swine flu using blood, saliva samples

An Ontario health agency is launching a province-wide study of swine flu (H1N1) this month in the hopes of estimating how many people are going to get sick from the virus this fall.
The study will use volunteers who provide samples, which will be tested for H1N1 antibodies.
The Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion (OAHPP) said H1N1 has made thousands of people around the world sick this year, and industry experts predict a worse return from the virus this fall.
Dr. Paul Roumeliotis from the Eastern Ontario Health Unit is planning a meeting with the media for early September to discuss how best to disseminate information about swine flu during its expected return.
The OAHPP said its study will determine risk factors for infection by the pandemic H1N1 flu virus, and will help to estimate how many people are likely to get sick from the virus in the future.
Results have important implications for infection control, vaccination policies and future epidemiological research relating to the flu virus.
For its study, OAHPP is seeking volunteers who live in Ontario and who are 18 years of age or older to participate. Participants in the study will be asked to complete an online questionnaire and provide blood samples at a local laboratory.
Some participants will also be asked to provide saliva samples for testing.
Having antibodies to the H1N1 'swine' flu virus may mean that a person has some protection against the virus and is less likely to become infected.
All volunteers will be given their test results.
Those who are interested can visit http://h1n1study.oahpp.ca for more information or to register.

H1N1 sidebar:

Ontario Influenza Bulletin

The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care issued the latest edition of the Ontario Influenza Bulletin.
Highlights on the H1N1 flu virus in the bulletin for the period of August 2 to August 8, 2009 include:
* Overall, influenza activity in Ontario was similar compared the previous week.
* However, the rate of influenza-like illness (ILI) in patients seen by sentinel physicians is above what is expected for this time of year, particularly for those less than 19 years of age.
* Slightly more patients reporting influenza-like symptoms consulted sentinel physicians this week than the previous week.
* The majority of health units continue to report sporadic activity. Only one health unit reported localized activity.
* There are 4,035 confirmed cases of H1N1 flu virus reported through the integrated Public Health System (iPHIS) as of August 8, 2009.

As of August 12:

* 21 deaths have been reported among confirmed H1N1 cases.
* 44 people who have the H1N1 flu virus were in hospital as of 8:30 a.m. on August 12, a number of whom have underlying medical conditions. 294 other people have been hospitalized and have since been discharged.
* A similar number of hospitalized cases were reported this week. No new deaths among cases were reported this week.