Thanks very much.
There are many parts to that. I think it's really interesting when you look around the world. Influenza is such a variable disease. You'll have two communities side by side, and if you look at 1918 and others, the impact in neighbouring communities can be very different, or even within communities. And while the general risk factors, etc., may hold true, they may not hold true in all instances, because of this virus' variability.
For example, different parts of Australia were hit much harder than others. Now, that's not particularly useful, other than for the questions for the general public, but it's very useful as we start to plan and think towards the future. Or, for example, Argentina, unlike Chile, instituted all kinds of measures, such as closing schools, cancelling concerts, etc. Comparing Chile and Argentina would suggest that, in our view, cancelling schools and everything else is probably not helpful. It turned out actually to be true in their experience. So all of this is very helpful as we start to develop our guidance.
When it comes to communications, in a way you can never communicate too much. I'm struck by the differences in different communities, and part of that is the activities of local public health—and sometimes it's a local business that's interested.
I came back early to Ottawa from Nunavut to be here, and I was struck that in Nunavut, which again has a sparse population, there's a collaboration between the Nunavut government, the Canadian government, and local people. So you can't go into a bar or restaurant or hotel, or wherever, without signs graphically displaying how to cough, what to do if you're sick, how to wash your hands, etc. Even the small shops have signs and information, etc., and people are aware and are engaging in the conversation about how you can prevent this. We have done stuff in Inuktitut and a range of languages, and this can be adapted in other languages, as need be.
We can't communicate enough. We're continuing to do that. Will we ever do enough? I'm not sure, but again, these meetings, these forums, and the kinds of questions you're asking are all important in helping the public to understand the kinds of very practical things they can do, and what we as governments or organizations are doing to try to address this. People understand it better now than they did three months ago, or six months ago, and I'm sure as we move into the fall it will do well.
It's amazing. I was asked earlier today about culture change, and it's really interesting when I go out now. I remember that when H5 was ongoing, we were talking about hand washing and everything, and it was rare that I'd see someone leave a washroom without washing their hands. And then suddenly we started drifting back. Well, now it's coming back again. When people are out there coughing in public, people are looking at them funny or asking them to leave. So I think this will bode well not just for our ability to reduce the impact of a pandemic, but also for a range of other infections.
Thank you.