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Manitoba: First Nations Community To Attempt Isolation

 

# 3756

 

 

During the pandemic of 1918, a very few communities managed to isolate themselves from the influenza – at least for a time.  

 

Gunnison, Colorado was one such town, and a description of their efforts can be found on Sangres.com where they discuss the colorful history of that western town.

 

During the Spanish Influenza pandemic of 1918, the residents of Gunnison County barricaded all the highways at the county lines for 2 months. Railroad conductors on trains passing through informed all travelers that if they stepped off the train in Gunnison they would be immediately arrested and placed in quarantine for five days.

These measures may seem extreme to some folks but not a single person died of influenza in Gunnison during that grave time.

 

In the south pacific, a few islands managed to keep the pandemic virus at bay. The four successful island quarantines during the 1918 pandemic were in American Samoa (5 days' quarantine) and Continental Australia, Tasmania, and New Caledonia (all 7 days' quarantine).

 

  • The Spanish Flu did not reach American Samoa until 1920, and had apparently weakened, as no deaths were reported.
  • Australia's quarantine kept the influenza away until January of 1919, a full 3 months after the flu has swept New Zealand with disastrous effects.
  • Tasmania kept the flu at bay until August of 1919, and health officials believed they received an milder version, as their mortality rate was one of the lowest in the world.
  • By strictly enforcing a 7-day quarantine, New Caledonia managed to avoid introduction of the virus until 1921.

 

Eventually, once the quarantines were lifted, the virus did make it to these isolated regions of the world. It was, undoubtedly, easier to isolate a community 90+ years ago than it is today. 

 

But at least one remote First Nations community in Canada is going to try.  A hat tip to Pathfinder on Flutrackers for this link.

 

 

image

Manitoba chief wants to lock down community against swine flu

By Aldo Santin, Winnipeg Free Press September 19, 2009

No one in Canada will be left out when the H1N1 flu vaccine is ready, according to Dr. David Butler-Jones

No one in Canada will be left out when the H1N1 flu vaccine is ready, according to Dr. David Butler-Jones

Photograph by: Getty Images, Canwest News Service

A new case of the H1N1 virus in Manitoba has prompted the chief of a nearby First Nations reserve to prepare plans to isolate the community until its members can be vaccinated.

 

Chief Ken Chalmers of the Birdtail Sioux First Nation said he wants to isolate the community of 600 residents from the rest of the province, adding he's fearful of the havoc the virus could cause if it gets established.

 

"We know we're going to get some (H1N1) cases in our community but our plan is to do preventative work," Chalmers said.

 

Chalmers said the plan involves advising against travel in and out of the reserve and stockpiling enough food and medication until the entire community can be treated with the H1N1 vaccine.

 

(Continue. . . )

 

Given the vulnerability shown by members of the Canada’s First Nations Community to this novel virus over the summer, one can understand their desire to try to keep the pandemic out of their community until a vaccine can be deployed.

 

It will be interesting to see if, in this day and age, such a thing is possible.    Of course, for most of the world, this sort of isolation simply wouldn’t work. 

 

But for the residents of the Birdtail Sioux Community, it just may be doable.

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