As public health officials plan for an expected second wave of H1N1 flu cases this fall, they met this week with Pan American Health Organisation (PAHO) representatives to fine-tune a vaccination strategy.

            “We are fairly sure about two things. First, there will be a surge in H1N1 flu cases this fall in addition to the regular seasonal flu cases that we see every year. Second, there will be a limited amount of the H1N1 vaccine available around the world at the beginning of the season.” Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kiran Kumar cautioned.

            He  emphasized the need to understand that there will be two separate vaccines this year, one for the seasonal flu and another for the H1N1 flu.  The seasonal flu vaccine will be available in early October and although we don’t have a date yet for the H1N1 vaccine, it is expected to arrive in October as well.

The Public Health Department has gone to great lengths to ensure Cayman will get enough H1N1 vaccine to immunize all residents, but they do not expect enough doses available for everyone right away. The results of the safety studies for the H1N1 vaccine have just been published but a final date for distribution of the vaccine has still not been determined.  The good news is that the studies have shown the vaccine to be safe and effective just like the regular seasonal flu vaccine.

“As there will not be  adequate stocks globally we will vaccinate the high risk groups first, and then, as more vaccine becomes available, we will move on to the rest of the population.”

The Health Services Authority’s Flu Response Team reviewed the international guidelines on September 15 at its weekly meeting, and formulated a vaccine strategy for the Islands. The meeting was also attended by a visiting team from PAHO, headed by Dr. Ernest Pate, from the regional office  based in Jamaica. 

            According to the recommendations, pregnant women, people with chronic disease such as heart disease, diabetes, respiratory conditions (asthma), immunodeficiency, and health care workers are among the priority groups to receive the  H1N1 vaccine. 

“After we have vaccinated these high risk groups, we will work our way through the rest of the population – children ages 6 months to 4 years, healthy children ages 5 – 18 years, healthy adults ages 19 – 49 years followed by other age groups ,” Dr. Kumar said.

The Cayman Islands reported its first H1N1 case on 4 June, and confirmed its only H1N1 death in July.  The medical experts are reminding the public that although the H1N1 flu causes only mild to moderate illness in most patients, there are still severe cases that can result in hospitalization or even death.  They anticipate that these severe cases will occur again in the Cayman Islands with the fall flu wave just as they have with the first wave here and around the world.  That is why the vaccine will be an important part of the strategy to minimize the impact of H1N1 in Cayman.

The Cayman Islands flu statistics  indicate that 76% of all confirmed flu cases since June were due to the pandemic H1N1 virus  with the other 24% confirmed as the various seasonal flu viruses.  There have been 101 H1N1 flu cases confirmed to date with thousands of other cases that appropriately treated themselves with home isolation and did not require testing.  

A majority of the cases (48%) were among older children and young adults  in the 10 – 39 years age group.  Dr.  Kumar noted that the incidence of flu cases has tapered off and there has been only one confirmed case of H1N1 in the last four weeks, however, he cautioned residents to stay vigilant. The advice to stay home when you are sick, keep sick children out of school and wash hands frequently are still the best defenses, he said.

For more information on H1N1 visit www.CaymanPrepared.ky or www.hsa.ky. The Health Services Authority also offers the public direct responses to their flu queries through its flu email and message system – flu@hsa.ky. This complements the 24-hour flu hotline (926-2812) manned by HSA staff.