Nova Scotia has its first hospitalized case of Influenza A (H1N1), also known as swine flu, the provincial government announced yesterday.
But the Health Promotion and Protection Department is assuring the public that “the patient is improving.”
Maureen Baikie, the province’s deputy chief medical officer of health, said “any case of influenza that requires hospitalization we would consider to be more severe.”
But she emphasized the other 76 cases that have been reported here since the outbreak began in April have been mild and no one else has been hospitalized.
Baikie said the first severe case was reported late Monday, but she couldn’t say what hospital the patient is staying at or where he or she is from.
“This is a patient who lives in Capital District Health Authority,” she said. “We have to be very careful about privacy.”
Baikie said when influenza circulates, health professionals expect “that there will be some cases that are more severe than others that require hospitalization.”
“We have a good surveillance system in place and a good influenza program overall,” she said.
Balkie said Nova Scotia isn’t seeing “the same bulk of cases” now as when swine flu first started popping up in the province. However, she said “we’re still seeing cases tricking in,” with four new cases reported since June 1.
