WHO to monitor for flu at Vancouver

November 30, 2009 - 6:59AM
http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-sp ... -jz5d.html

The World Health Organisation is sending a representative to the 2010 Winter Olympics to monitor for potential disease outbreaks, and organisers and health experts have taken steps to protect against the H1N1 virus.

Planning for any impact swine flu could have on the games has been underway since April, when British Columbia health officials increased the stockpile of antiviral drugs available in the province.

The WHO declared an official global pandemic in June.

Most athletes, officials and spectators are expected to be vaccinated against H1N1 by the time the Winter Olympics begin in February.

"If the vaccination rate is high enough, I don't think H1N1 is going to be a risk," said Dr Patricia Daly, chief medical health officer for Vancouver Coastal Health, the agency overseeing health services for the Olympics.

British Columbia's provincial health officer said the original supply was boosted by three million doses, bringing the total amount available to 10 million.

About 250,000 spectators are expected at the games, and there will be about 10,000 media members, and 5,000 athletes and officials.

Vancouver organisers and the International Olympic Committee have recommended to all of the national Olympic committees that their athletes and officials be vaccinated against both H1N1 and seasonal influenza.

Daly said international athletes will be offered the vaccine when they get to Canada, with some teams arriving as early as January to begin training.

Public health nurses at the athletes village will conduct tests and monitor for illness at venues, including hotels where officials and sponsors are staying.

Seasonal flu is always a risk at a Winter Olympics, but monitoring done during prior games has shown little danger of a major outbreak.

At the Olympic village during the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics, 188 cases of influenza were diagnosed.

During the 2006 Olympics in Turin the incidence of influenza-like illness was less than that recorded during the same period a year earlier, according to Italian researchers.