British Columbia has more A/H1N1 cases than other Canadian provinces

The western Canadian province of British Columbia has more A/H1N1 cases than other provinces, public health officials said Friday without elaborating reasons.

Between Oct. 4 and Oct. 10, British Columbia's provincial labs tested 998 specimens, about 350 of which tested positive for the A/H1N1 virus. By comparison, Ontario identified about 75 positive cases, Quebec 21 and Alberta 135 during the same week.

"BC is well into its second wave of H1N1," Perry Kendall, provincial health officer, told reporters at the BC Center for Disease Control.

He could not explain why the surge in cases has occurred in British Columbia, saying only that it's common for influenza to hit some regions faster than others.

"Somebody has to be first," he said.

The A/H1N1 virus has claimed eight lives in British Columbia so far and 78 people with A/H1N1 have been admitted to hospitals since April, 71 percent of whom had underlying medical conditions.

Source: Xinhua