Already Doing the Right Things to Fight H1N1
By: Paul Knowles
In some ways, the food service industry is better prepared for the H1N1 pandemic than many other sectors of society. That’s the opinion of Dr. Liana Nolan, Medical Officer of Health for the Regional Municipality of Waterloo.
We asked Dr. Nolan what people working in the food service industry should do, to help curtail the spread of the H1N1 flu. She replied, “Keep taking the regular precautions that food handlers and operators already take.” In other words, if you are already doing it right, keep on doing it. The standard procedures that apply to keeping a food service location healthy and clean are exactly the measures that health experts are encouraging the rest of society to adopt.
Dr. Nolan underlined some of the common advice related to H1N1 prevention: “cover their coughs,” and “wash hands frequently.” She did recommend that food service businesses pay special attention to cleaning surfaces even more often, since the flu can be spread when infected individuals cough into their hands and then touch surfaces like counter tops, bathroom door handles, and so on.
But she admits that one key to containing the flu may be a tougher sell for food service operations: sick people must stay home. “Businesses need to look at their own policies regarding time off and sick time,” she insists.
Employees should “stay home if they’re feeling ill.” It’s that simple.
Of course, this mandates that businesses need to have a plan in place that allows business to continue when employees are ill. If they don’t, then development of such a contingency plan should be a top priority.
Dr. Nolan underlined the fact that H1N1 is most contagious starting just before people are beginning to feel ill; and as the disease first strikes, that’s when they are “maximally infectious.” The chances are high that the flu will be passed on to others.
The Ontario Restaurant Hotel and Motel Association (ORHMA) agrees with Dr. Nolan, and has added a very detailed H1N1 section to the association’s website www.orhma.com.
It’s not content to simply recommend general cleanliness. One entire page, for example, is devoted to cleaning and disinfecting and hand hygiene. It encourages frequent disinfecting of hard surfaces, including “furniture, door handles, push plates and railings, restroom surfaces, light switches and elevator buttons,” and more.
The ORHMA like many other organizations, including the Region of Waterloo Health Unit encourages development of a business plan for dealing with the pandemic. The website recommends such measures as identifying a pandemic coordinator, identifying essential employees and other critical inputs required to maintain business operation during a pandemic; training and preparing an ancillary workforce; and much more.
Peter Sweeney is President of the St. Mary’s General Hospital Foundation in Kitchener. He prepared an extensive information piece, “clinically supported by our team of healthcare experts, and adapted from Waterloo Region Public Health, the Ontario Ministry of Health, and the Public Health Agency of Canada.”
It included some helpful definitions and descriptions, including, “The H1N1 flu virus is a new strain of pandemic influenza which is different than the seasonal flu. People have no natural immunity to protect against this virus. The H1N1 flu virus emerged in April 2009 and surveillance of its spread shows that it is affecting more young and healthy people than the regular seasonal flu, which normally affects seniors and young children. People with underlying medical conditions and pregnant women may be at a greater risk for severe illness. The H1N1 flu virus also known as human swine influenza is a respiratory illness that affects the nose, throat and lungs. This virus usually affects pigs, but has been transferred to humans.”
He lists the following symptoms, categorized by their frequency of occurrence: “Almost always: Cough and fever; Common: Fatigue, Muscle aches, Sore throat, Headache, Decreased appetite, Runny nose; Sometimes: Nausea, Vomiting, Diarrhea.”
Sweeney further noted, “Most cases of Influenza and H1N1 flu tend to be mild. However, if you do not start to feel better after a few days or if your symptoms get worse, Public Health is recommending that you should either call your health care provider or Telehealth at 1-866-797-0000.” Dr. Nolan says that the pandemic has held no surprises for medical experts. “We had the chance to observe it in the spring, here, in the southern hemisphere over the summer, and now here in the fall,” she said, and the results have been consistent. The most vulnerable people have been infants, children under five, and adolescents and young adults with chronic underlying conditions. “This has been consistent over a number of months.” People of 65 seem least affected, probably because they have had exposure to a similar strain of flu, many years ago, and have some immunity. Overall, “the vast number” of cases are “mild... although, not pleasant by any stretch,” says Dr. Nolan. She clarifies that “mild” means they do not require hospitalization.
All health officials are stressing that a consistent, common sense approach to cleanliness and disinfecting any vulnerable areas are the key for all businesses and homes to help in the fight against the pandemic.
The following are some useful websites with H1N1 information especially applicable to the foodservice industry. You will also find information about local circumstances and H1N1 immunization clinics through your local Health Unit.
Ontario Ministry of Health and Long Term Care: www.health.gov.on.ca.
Health Canada: www.hc-sc.gc.ca/index-eng.php.
The Ontario Restaurant Hotel and Motel Association (ORHMA): www.orhma.com.
Waterloo Regional Health Unit H1N1 site: www.waterlooregionpandemic.ca.