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BCCDC responds

A cardinal feature of influenza illness is its short incubation and sudden onset. For seasonal influenza viruses, the incubation period is generally estimated to be 1- to 4-days.[1] The 2009 swine-origin pandemic A/H1N1... Read More

Swine-origin influenza virus: What the clinician needs to know

In April 2009, clusters of severe respiratory illness in Mexico and sporadic cases of more typical in­fluenza illness were identified in California and Texas due to a novel influ­enza A H1N1 (human swine) strain. This... Read More

Rabies in BC: A prophylaxis guidelines update

Rabies is an almost invariably fatal zoonotic infection, and globally claims an average of 55 000 lives annually, mostly in Asia and Africa.[1] Rabies is transmitted by the saliva of an infected animal, usually through... Read More

Pandemic influenza—A primer for physicians

For this theme issue on pandemic influenza, we assembled a panel of experts and asked them to contribute practical and informative articles on a number of topics. In the first article, Drs Daly, Gustafson, and Kendall... Read More

Dr Peter Edward Hoogewerf 1928–2006

Where there is no vision, the people perish. —Proverbs 29:18 Dr Peter Hoogewerf, born in 1928 in Ranikhet, India, was a graduate in 1954 of King’s College Medical School in London, England, longstanding member... Read More

Why BC is moving from four to three doses of conjugate pneumococcal vaccine for infant immunization

Universal immunization of BC infants with four doses of conjugate pneumococcal vaccine was introduced in September 2003. There is already a dramatic decline in the rate of invasive pneumococcal disease in those under... Read More

Pandemic influenza

Influenza epidemics occur each winter, due to subtle mutations in the influenza virus as it evolves. Influenza arrives suddenly each year, spreads rapidly to peak within 2 to 3 weeks, and lasts 5 to 10 weeks. Community... Read More

Humans and bats: Risk, rabies, and the need for respect

Rabies—A public health emergency Any possible human exposure to rabies constitutes an emergency, and physicians must be aware of local protocols for accessing rabies post-exposure prophylaxis (RPEP) quickly. In BC, the... Read More

Influenza: The elusive plague—Part 2 (Guest editorial)

This issue concludes our series on influenza. The final two articles in the series emphasize the importance of immunization in preventing infection, the complications of infection, and the risk of transmitting infection... Read More

The importance of influenza immunizations for health-care workers

Introduction The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recommends that all institutionalized persons, all persons 65 years of age and older, and certain persons with chronic health problems be vaccinated... Read More