We’re ready for H1N1, northern premiers say

Eva Aariak, the Nunavut premier, and Floyd Roland, the Northwest Territories premier, field questions from reporters following the annual gathering of the three territorial premiers in Iqaluit this past weekend. All three leaders, including Dennis Fentie, premier of Yukon, said they feel confident that their governments can cope with a possible swine flu pandemic this fall. (PHOTO BY JIM BELL)

Canada’s three northern premiers say they’re satisfied, so far, with the amount of help they’re getting from Ottawa right now to help prepare for a possible swine flu pandemic this fall.

“The main thing is to get the vaccines and I think it’s fair to say today that we are comfortable that we will be able to have what we need in the North in terms of vaccines and other measures such as prevention and education,” Dennis Fentie, the premier of Yukon, told reporters Sept. 5.

A vaccine to protect people against the H1N1 swine flu virus will likely be available in Canada by Nov. 15. Canada plans to acquire 50.4 million doses.

But some aboriginal leaders and public health experts have raised tough questions about whether Canada can distribute the vaccine on time, especially to vulnerable children and adolescents living in remote communities.

Gail Turner, the chair of the Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami’s health committee, told MPs last month that she believes Ottawa’s pandemic plan may not work well for remote Inuit communities.

And in an Aug. 31 editorial, the Canadian Medical Association Journal said that under the current federal plan, Canada will not be able to immunize vulnerable populations in time.

On Sept. 1, Leona Aglukkaq, the national health minister, responded by saying that Canada is “well-positioned” to cope with a second wave of swine flu infection and that Canada is regarded as a world leader in swine flu preparedness.

And Fentie said now is not a good time to pick fights with Ottawa over swine flu preparedness.

“The last thing we need to do is to start arguing about who is responsible for what and who is doing enough and who is not doing enough,” Fentie said.

And he praised public health officials working at all levels of government for their co-operative work on the issue.

And Eva Aariak, the Nunavut premier and Floyd Roland, the Northwest Territories premier, each expressed confidence in the ability of their respective governments to distribute vaccine and cope with a pandemic.

“The plan has been put together. We will deliver. We’ll be there to supply and take care of our residents,” Roland said.

Aariak agreed, saying “we are prepared.”

Last week, Nunavut’s chief medical health officer, Dr. Isaac Sobol, said Nunavut will likely be one of the first regions in Canada to receive batches of the H1N1 vaccine.

The three premiers also said their priority at the moment is to distribute vaccine when its available and to continue public health measures aimed at limiting the spread of the H1N1 virus.

As for the cost of pandemic preparation, that’s an issue for another day, premiers said.

But Floyd Roland suggested that eventually, the territories may have to go back to Ottawa to help pay the bill

“We’ll get to that point where we’ll need to have that discussion with our federal partners with just how those costs will break down,” Roland said.

On another health issue, northern premiers say they want Ottawa to sign a deal for a new five-year territorial health fund to replace an old deal that expires next April.

Ottawa supplies that fund to the territories in addition to its regular annual health transfer payments to all provinces and territories.

Its purpose is to help territorial governments cover the high costs of health care in the North, especially medical travel costs.

Their communiqué, issued Sept. 5, says northern premiers want a new fund that would support “transformative change” within each territory’s health system.

The northern premiers held their annual meeting this year Sept. 4 and Sept. 5 in Iqaluit.

Related articles:

• Influenza has a cure – it’s affluence (Globe and Mail)

• The H1N1 vaccine race: Can we beat the pandemic? (Canadian Medical Association Journal)

• Canada well-prepared for new H1N1 flu wave: minister (National Post)

• Nunavut to get priority when H1N1 serum available (Nunatsiaq News)

• Canada needs a sense of urgency (Globe and Mail)