Background

• In 2006, a circular from the Ministry of Health outlined the procedures to follow in the event of one or more cases of acute respiratory infection (ARI) in healthcare or long-term care facilities for the elderly, particularly in nursing homes. It compiled all recommendations regarding infections caused by specific pathogens: influenza, pneumococcus, Legionnaires’ disease, and pertussis.

• Tools to monitor these infections were made available to nursing homes, and reports were tracked by the DDASS until 2010 and subsequently by the ARS. These tools were intended to enable the rapid detection of clusters of cases and the implementation of appropriate and rapid control measures.

• In January 2012, at the very start of the influenza epidemic in the region, the ARS’s Disability and Elderly Affairs Division issued a notice to all facilities housing elderly residents in the region, reiterating these recommendations and providing the necessary tools for surveillance and reporting. This notice encouraged facilities to obtain rapid influenza diagnostic tests so they could confirm or rule out influenza as the cause of illness as soon as the first cases of acute respiratory infection (ARI) occurred.

• This Epidemiological Report presents the results of surveillance of clusters of ARI cases during the 2011-2012 winter season.