Big flu outbreak cripples Pangnirtung schools, hamlet office

School officials have been using Facebook to keep Pangnirtung residents informed during a flu outbreak that has closed the community’s two schools and left the hamlet office with only three workers as of May 5. (FILE PHOTO)

A nasty outbreak of the flu that’s spread throughout Pangnirtung has crippled day-to-day operations in the Nunavut hamlet of about 1,700 people.

Pangnirtung’s two schools have been closed since May 3.

The schools will remain closed until next week as teachers and staff recover from the illness, according to announcements posted by Attagoyuk Ilisavik School Principal, Allan Boyce, on Facebook.

Hamlet staff confirmed only three employees were staffing the municipal office as of May 5.

Nunavut’s department of Health issued statements asking residents of Pangnirtung to stay home if they’re feeling ill, to help curb the spread of the virus.

Nunavut’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. Kim Barker, said walk-ins “consistent with influenza A” to Pangnirtung’s health centre have been reported.

“Some days there’s been up to 80 people [that have visited the health centre],” Barker said, adding that the centre usually treats about 20 people a day on average.

“We can’t say that they’re all with influenza symptoms, but that’s an unusually large amount of people going through that health centre.”

Medical samples collected in the hamlet confirm at least two cases of influenza A.

But the exact number of people dealing with the virus in Pangnirtung is unknown, as health services only conduct the sampling to determine if the virus has entered a population.

“Usually we just assume that it’s influenza once we know its circulating in the community,” Barker said.

Influenza A is a strain of the virus usually encountered in January and February.

“This is unusual that we’re seeing this last peak in April. Usually we see influenza B during this time of year,” Barker said.

“In the last 24 hours, things have started to quiet down, so hopefully we reached the end of the worst of it.”

Barker is advising residents of Pangnirtung to follow proper protocol now that the virus is confirmed in the community.

That includes washing your hands frequently, coughing into your sleeve rather than your hand, and remaining home if you’re sick.