Incidence has increased dramatically since beginning of detections – and it is unlikely we are close to the end of the ‘whiplash’
An update to March’s flu bulletin:
Ontario has confirmed 31 cases of Omicron D-Yukon (ODE-man) virus in three municipalities since the agency announced it was investigating a cluster of cases in the winter. Ontario’s chief medical officer of health Dr. Arlene King says two of the infections were laboratory-confirmed in February. King says a laboratory confirmed the third infection in early April and two others since then. Earlier this year, human cases of Omet-dhem/ECYNY were identified in: Barrie, Belleville, Durham and Simcoe counties. The microscopic virus is similar to human influenza viruses in that it is transmitted from person to person and is caused by a type of influenza virus called swine or influenza type A. The agency says this situation differs from swine flu in that there is no reservoir of swine influenza on Earth. The disease has not been consistently found in North America. In all likelihood, it will eventually mutate to more efficiently infect humans. Therefore, it is unclear how far the outbreak might spread in North America. If it does, the government would normally declare a public health emergency.
This article also appears on the COSME website.