Remote Manitoba First Nation confirms 2 cases of swine flu

CBC News

Swine flu has been confirmed in two residents of the remote Manitoba community of St. Theresa Point First Nation.

Two people have tested positive for the H1N1 influenza A virus that has been spreading in North America and elsewhere since it first appeared in Mexico in April, Whelan Mason, deputy chief of St. Theresa Point First Nation, and other community health officials confirmed Thursday. The two people and 19 others with flu-like symptoms from the community of 3,200 people are currently hospitalized in Winnipeg.

In all, 200 people from the reserve, located about 500 kilometres from Winnipeg, have reported being ill in the past week. The majority of them are being treated in the community.

Consequently, four additional doctors and several more nurses have been sent there by the province. Mostly everyone in the community was wearing protective masks on Thursday — including people working at the band office, in administration buildings and at the local store.

The school has been closed for several days, and public gatherings are forbidden.

The band council has been instructing residents on how to avoid spreading the virus, using local radio and television to get the message out.

Manitoba Health authorities announced Wednesday 27 new cases of the H1N1 virus have been identified in the province, including two on northern First Nations communities, but the health officials did not reveal which First Nations were affected.

Mason said he suspects there will be more cases of the virus in his community.

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