IQALUIT - The first Nunavummiuq confirmed to have died directly of swine flu was pregnant, the Department of Health and Social Services revealed Monday.

A pregnant woman was the first Nunavummiuq confirmed to have succumbed to the swine flu, Dr. Isaac Sobol, Nunavut's chief medical officer, revealed at a press conference on Monday. The woman, who lived in the Kivalliq region, died July 15. - NNSL file photo

In a press conference, Nunavut's chief medical officer of health Dr. Isaac Sobol said the deceased's family allowed the department to reveal her condition to the public.

The family and the department want to raise awareness in Nunavut that pregnancy makes one more vulnerable to dangerous complications of a swine flu, also known as the H1N1 virus.

"If a person has a chronic heath condition or they're pregnant and they think they are getting the flu, it's important that they call the health centre right away for advice -- and they should tell the health centre staff of their condition right away," said Sobol.

No other information about the patient was available, but reports the week earlier were that she was young and from the Kivalliq region.

Sobol stressed the importance of reporting flu-like symptoms as early as possible because the treatment for the flu is more effective the earlier it's caught. The anti-viral drug Tamiflu works best when administered less than 48 hours after one starts feeling sick.

Based on the worldwide pandemic, Sobol said the H1N1 strain of influenza seems to affect young people more than most flu strains.

"During a normal flu season the population we consider to be at highest risk are people with underlying chronic medical conditions or people over age 65 or very young infants," he said. "In this particular virus it looks as if the whole spectrum of the population is at risk."

Besides pregnancy, other health conditions which make influenza infections more dangerous include diabetes, heart or lung disease and cancer.

In some communities so many people have reported flu symptoms to their health centre that the medical facilities have gone on emergency-only status. This means they will only handle medical emergencies and reports of flu symptoms, putting off non-emergency health visits until the infections have peaked in the community.

Sobol wouldn't reveal which health centres are on that status, but called it "an acceptable and reasonable protocol for reducing transmission".

Once people have had the swine flu, their bodies will have built up a resistance to that particular flu strain and will be at less risk of further infection. This is important because one of the worst pandemics in history, the Spanish flu pandemic of 1918, happened in two stages and the second wave of infection was far more lethal than the first. Although that's a worst-case scenario, it's one possibility that health authorities have had to consider. To address that, Canada's health departments are pursuing the development of a vaccine, which Sobol anticipates should be ready by late October to early December at the latest.

"Nobody really knows for sure, but, if this virus were to come back, certainly I think anyone who wasn't already infected and built up antibodies or immunity against it would be advised to get this vaccine," Sobol said.