Dr. Kami Kandola said Wednesday in Yellowknife that getting vaccinated against the H1N1 virus is the best way to slow its spread in the N.W.T. (CBC)

The top health official in the Northwest Territories says the fall wave of swine flu is spreading faster than expected and becoming more common than the common cold.

The H1N1 influenza virus is the only strain of flu going around in the N.W.T. at this time, but getting vaccinated against it will be the best way to reduce the spread, said Dr. Kami Kandola, the territory's chief medical officer.

"The one effective measure of drastically reducing the transmission of H1N1 in the Northwest Territories is if people get vaccinated, so they protect themselves and they protect other people at the same time," Kandola told reporters Wednesday in Yellowknife.

Most communities affected

Cases of swine flu were identified in 25 of the territory's 33 communities as of this week, Kandola said.

"When you reach a certain proportion of the population getting ill, it seems like the outbreak has amplified," she told CBC News on Tuesday.

"At this point, we've had the highest numbers of people reporting influenza-like illness, calling the flu line, visiting the ER. We've had a high number of hospitalizations — nine hospitalizations last week alone."

The number of people hospitalized with swine flu last week brings the total to 19, nearly doubling the 10 hospitalizations previously recorded to date. No H1N1-related deaths have been reported in the N.W.T. so far.

Health officials say schools are reporting more students calling in sick, but no school closures have been reported.

Kandola stressed that the H1N1 virus is relatively mild for most people, but its spread means those prone to health complications could be affected more adversely.

"People with chronic diseases — heart and lung disease, people with cancers, children under five, and pregnant women — are the most vulnerable populations for the H1N1 [virus]," she said.

"This population has been the predominant group that ends up being hospitalized."

Busy week at hospital

Last week was the busiest yet at Stanton Territorial Hospital in Yellowknife, placing some strain on staffing and capacity, hospital CEO Kay Lewis said.

"We certainly are seeing an increase in activity. We're seeing anywhere from 15 to 25 a day in the last week or so, and some are slightly more ill than what we initially saw," Lewis said.

"But for the most part, most people, it is a mild to moderate illness. But we are watching those that are more prone to secondary infections and trying to make sure that we manage those."

Lewis said the hospital staff is anxiously awaiting the arrival of the H1N1 vaccine, in the hopes it will reduce the number of people getting sick and requiring hospitalization.

In the meantime, Lewis said, most people with swine flu can get better by staying home, staying warm and drinking liquids.

"If there's any more serious [symptoms] — advance fever or looking as though you're into more secondary illnesses like pneumonia — then they need to follow up at that point in time," she said.

Kandola said those who already have had laboratory-confirmed cases of swine flu will not need to be vaccinated.

"If you have not had lab-confirmed H1N1 and you're unclear, if you do take the vaccine, it should be fine," she added.

Anyone in the Northwest Territories with flu-like symptoms or questions about the flu is encouraged to call the Health Department's flu line at 1-888-920-3026 or the Tele-Care line at 1-888-255-1010.