INUVIK - There haven't been any recorded cases of swine flu in Inuvik, but that hasn't stopped the town from producing a pandemic plan in case of an outbreak.

The document which was unveiled at Wednesday's council meeting by Sara Brown, town senior administrative officer, is meant to compliment the Beaufort-Delta Health and Social Services Authority's (BDHSSA) Pandemic Influenza Contingency Plan Guideline for Inuvik. The plan is divided into three phases; pre-pandemic phase, pandemic phase and post pandemic phase.

On Wednesday Sara Brown, the town's senior administrative officer, unveiled its pandemic plan, coinciding with growing global concern over a swine flu pandemic. The Beaufort-Delta Health and Social Services Authority (BDHSSA) will be working with the town in the case of an H1N1 outbreak. From left, Joanne Engram, Inuvik Regional Hospital's manager of nursing; Sara Brown; Stella van Rensburg, BDHSSA manager of quality and risk management; and Dr. Tarun Shaha, acting Medical Health Officer for the region. - Andrew Rankin/NNSL photo

The town plan is divided into three sections, outlining how the town will support the (BDHSSA) contingency plan for Inuvik in the event of a pandemic, how it intends to protect staff and residents as well as a business continuity plan.

Brown said with the spread of swine flu becoming a growing global concern, now is the time to implement such a plan.

"We have to do our part to be prepared," she said. "That means how we can support BDHSSA and how we can support our customers and deciding which of our functions would go by the wayside in the event of the flu."

No one has died from swine flu in the Northwest Territories.

Stella van Rensburg, BDHSSA manager of quality and risk management, said she's excited to see the town in preparation mode and its willingness to work together with the department.

The town SAO was in-volved in preparing BDHSSA's contingency plan in 2006, which came under the direction of Department of Social Services. Van Rensburg said next month the authority will be updating the contingency plan again with the aid of Dr. Leah Seaman, the region's Medical Health Officer.

The town's pandemic plan lists various priorities, including where vaccine sites will be located, a pandemic hot line, and which recreational activities would be closed to the public if an outbreak occurred.

Van Rensburg said the objective of the authority is to raise awareness about the highly contagious respiratory illness.

Those most vulnerable to the illness are pregnant women, people with a history of chronic disease, children under the age of five or adults over the age of 65.

The main preventative measure is good hygiene and maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Key symptoms of H1N1 include fever, cough, sore throat, and a runny or stuffy nose.

Dr. Tarun Shaha, acting Medical Health Officer for the region, said although there have been some suspicious cases, no one has been infected with swine flu in Inuvik.