The second wave of the much dreaded H1N1 influenza is expected to start within weeks - long before the vaccine against it is prepared.
"There is a large amount of concern as fast as the children return to college it'll spike up again," declared Dr Astrid Petrich, H1N1 analyst and infectious illness consultant at St Joseph's Hospital and McMaster University. But the vaccine will not be available till at least November. "What if the main top of H1N1 starts occurring well before the vaccine is available?" announced Dr Bob Nosal, Halton's Medical Officer of Health.
Schools have been told to make parents aware of possible school closures and to make preparations for this possibility closures. Hand sanitizers will be a new back-to-school staple.
"I'm extremely concerned," recounted Christy Cowan, who has a child going into Grade one and a baby at home. She is also 7 months pregnant, which places her at elevated risk of becoming severely unwell. "My concern is that she'll bring it home and that there'll be dire implications unlike the common runny nose and fever."
There's little aside from hand washing parents can do to guard their families from H1N1 till the vaccine is available. Immunizations are anticipated to start in November but will take weeks to get to everybody who wants one.