OTTAWA - Federal health officials cautioned today that the H1N1 pandemic could still infect millions of Canadians despite data suggesting H1N1 has “peaked” in Canada.

“We’re trying to be very careful,” said Dr. David Butler-Jones, Canada’s chief public health officer. “We won’t know if we’ve reached a peak in flu activity until we’re clearly on the other side of it.”

Even then, he added, public health officials will need to be vigilant. “Coming down the mountain can be just as treacherous as climbing it ... during the first wave, as many cases occurred after the peak as before.”

The Public Health Agency of Canada’s agency's FluWatch web-site, updated late last week with the latest statistics on hospitalizations and deaths from H1N1, concluded: "A possible epidemic peak has been reached by all provinces and territories."

By the end of this week, the federal government will have arranged shipments of more than 20 million doses to the provinces and territories. Depending on the region in Canada, anywhere from 25% to 65% of the population has now been immunized, said federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq.

Aglukkaq confirmed that Canada will donate surplus vaccine to developing countries, but said the government will not decide how much until the new year.

Christina.spencer@sunmedia.ca