Prince George, B.C. – With one confirmed case of H1N1 flu in Prince George, Dr. David Bowering says if people are feeling ill, they should stay home. “We know we can’t stop it, but we can slow the spread and if this virus hangs around, by the time the next flu season is here we will have a vaccine.”

Speaking on the Meisner program on 93.1 CFIS FM this morning, Dr. Bowering, the Chief Medical Helath Officer for Northern Health,  says it’s unusual to be talking about the flu in May “ I think the good news, is that  (in Canada) this virus appears to be appearing much like an average flu virus .”

He says the good news is that cases which have presented themselves are mild, and so far, there has only been one case in B.C. of the illness being passed to a person who has NOT travelled to Mexico.

Dr. Bowering says there is no need to panic, “Pretty much every country has pandemic plans, and along comes a new virus and it doesn’t hurt to have those pandemic plans ready .”

Influenza is mostly a disease of birds, some of those viruses will mutate enough to infect human beings. “Pigs also get influenza viruses”, says Dr. Bowering, “And occasionally a strain will mutate enough to infect humans, and like this one, change enough Darwin style, to hit the jackpot so it can transmit from human to human.”

Dr. Bowering says its something we need to deal with, but we don’t have to change our lives “People die from influenza every year, that is something we live with, just as we live with the fact many people die in car crashes.”

He reiterates that just because there has been one case confirmed in Prince George, that doesn’t mean the H1N1 virus isn’t throughout the north “This doesn’t mean there aren’t case in Smithers, or the Peace. A lot of people have been to Mexico, a lot of people have had the flu, but it may have been mild enough that they didn’t seek medical help.”  

Dr. Bowering says the best thing for anyone with flu like symptoms to do is to stay at home, and for the rest of us to wash our hands, lots, to slow down the spread of the virus.