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SANIKILUAQ
Two viruses that swept through Sanikiluaq the week of March 26 shut down Nuiyak School for four days, and Paatsaali School for one day, Qikiqtani School Operations superintendent Paul Mooney said.

"It actually began the week before, so teachers were kind of falling off due to illness and family members were sick so teachers were looking after them. By Monday (March 26), there were almost no teachers left, and no janitors at Nuiyak School."

Faced with almost no staff to operate the school, the Sanikiluaq district education authority closed the school that day. It reopened that Thursday as some teachers were able to return, but both Nuiyak and Paatsaali High School closed for the day Friday due to illness. Two respiratory viruses hit the community, Nunavut's deputy chief medical officer of health Maureen Baikie said.

"We had influenza B and also RSV (respiratory syncytial virus)," Baikie said, describing the widespread presence of influenza B in Sanikiluaq as an outbreak. "RSV is a virus that affects all age groups, but children more than adults.

"The symptoms are fever, nasal congestion, and a wheezing cough in younger children."

Influenza B is more prevalent at the end of the flu season and is common every year, she said, adding RSV is also seen every year across Canada. The best prevention tools are regular hand-washing and the flu shot.

Baikie said some people required antibiotics, but no one needed to be medevaced from the community. She did not know how many people were affected, but a great number of people in town had flu-like symptoms, Mooney was told.

"Both principals - Lisi Kavik at Nuiyak and Tim Hoyt at Paatsaali - said they were amazed at how many people were sick and how many were off looking after people who were sick," Mooney said. "They both got down to a point where they could not operate, in the DEA's opinion."

At one point, Nuiyak had less than one third of its staff on site and no janitors. The viruses affected well over half of the student population, Mooney heard.

Both schools lost time from their annual buffer, but still have days available if they lose time for another such outbreak or for storms, Mooney said.

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