RANKIN INLET - Nunavut chief medical officer Dr. Isaac Sobol put out a mixed bag of information on the HIN1 flu virus this past week.

The number of confirmed cases had risen to 164 in Nunavut at the time, with 45 per cent in Kivalliq.

Ambulance attendants Samson Amarudjuak and Arsene Kaput, right, wear surgical masks for every call they respond to in Rankin Inlet during the H1N1 flu virus outbreak. - Darrell Greer/NNSL photo

The Kitikmeot had the other 55 per cent, with Baffin remaining free of confirmed cases as of June 15.

The World Health Organization has declared the H1N1 (swine flu) a pandemic and moved to Phase 6 (its highest) of its global influenza preparedness plan.

Phase 6 is based on the spread of the virus, not on the severity of illness it causes.

Sobol said a number of Nunavut communities had experienced "significant outbreaks," but would not confirm which ones.

He said the Health department is supporting affected communities by hiring extra nurses and deploying additional doctors as required, and remaining in close contact with health centres and community leaders.

Sobol also announced the Public Health Agency of Canada dispatched two field epidemiologists to one affected region to help with the investigation of the outbreak.

The professionals were confirmed to be in Rankin Inlet by community leaders.

As of press time, 10 patients with confirmed cases of H1N1 were treated in hospital, with eight having been released.

Sobol said the vast majority of people suffering with flu symptoms are recovering at home.

He said health centres in affected communities are reporting the number of patients being seen with flu-like illnesses is decreasing.

"We're experiencing very rapid transmission of the virus in some communities," said Sobol.

"However, the vast majority of cases in Nunavut have not been severe and are recovering at home."

Sobol said there is unequivocally no truth to speculation that Nunavut downplayed its number of confirmed cases.

He said knowing what communities have confirmed cases would do nothing to stop the spread of the disease, nor would advising people not to travel there.

"Everyone should be taking precautions throughout Nunavut whether they're lab-confirmed cases in their region or not.

"If ill individuals are staying at home and not congregating, and if persons who are ill are expecting family members to visit from other areas ... they might tell those family members to defer visiting.

"The message we are giving is not that this is mild and don't worry about it.

"This is a serious situation and people should take precautions to protect themselves against the flu."

Pujjuut Kusugak is a husband and father in Rankin who doesn't agree with the way the health department has handled the situation.

He said many people in the community have been confused by mixed messages.

"On one hand you hear about it being really contagious and dangerous, but the other side is the total opposite in it supposedly being a weaker strain of the flu going around earlier," said Kusugak.

"You don't know what to believe because the government doesn't tell you exactly where it is or what kind of precautions you should take, other than washing your hands and staying in if you're sick.

"It doesn't help when your own government isn't telling you what's going on.

"People in the communities have the right to know where this disease is."

Kusugak said he and his wife pulled their son out of the final week of school.

He said since nobody really knew what was going on, they decided there was no sense in having him somewhere a lot of kids might be sick.

"You have to trust people around you to take the proper precautions out of respect for everyone else.

"That's another reason why people should (know) where this flu is, because you do take extra precautions if you know it's in your community.

"If people don't know to what extent it's here, they just go about their business like there's nothing wrong."

Kusugak said signs put up in the community and public health announcements have helped.

But, he said, people would be even more vigilant in taking care of themselves if they knew the H1N1 was in their community for sure.

"Our government knows we have homes with 10 or 15 people living in them, and, if they know it's in their community, they take extra precautions to ensure everybody's clean and careful.

"It's just a matter of time before it spreads really quickly up here if people don't take extra precautions.

"That's why they have to know if it's in their community.

"The next time it comes around it's going to be worse, especially if people think it's mild and there's nothing to worry about."