Influenza appears to be taking a worse-than-usual toll on Canadians this winter, with thousands of hospitalizations and more than 130 deaths, including at least seven children.
Here鈥檚 what experts say Canadians need to know about this unusual flu season.
Are children more affected this year?
It鈥檚 possible. As of Feb. 3, there were five deaths reported to the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) in people under age 16.
Last week, there were two more deaths -- a 12-year-old girl and a seven-year-old boy who attended the same school in Guelph, Ont. Officials there said Monday that
As of Feb. 3, 2018, there were 511 children hospitalized with the flu. That鈥檚 compared to 344 hospitalizations and zero deaths in children
鈥淯sually what happens is we see the H3N2 or the H1N1 go through and then we have the B peak that happen afterwards. The B is the one that usually has the worst impact on children,鈥� Jason Tetro, a visiting scientist at the University of Guelph, told 麻豆影视 Channel.
Is it still worth getting the flu shot?
Toronto infectious disease specialist Dr. Isaac Bogoch says that it depends on whether flu activity is still high in your region. The most recent PHAC report shows widespread activity in parts of Ontario, Quebec and British Columbia.
Dr. Bogoch told 麻豆影视 Channel that the flu vaccine has been less effective than usual this year, and he points out that it takes 10 days to two weeks for the vaccine to take hold, at which point this year鈥檚 flu season may be mostly over.
Speaking to the vaccine鈥檚 effectiveness, Tetro explained the vaccine is only able to cover certain strains of the flu.
鈥淭he problem is that normally when you develop a vaccine, you鈥檙e doing it against one particular strain鈥nfortunately over the last few years we鈥檝e seen that number expand to five.鈥�
Regardless, Tetro added that it is still a good idea to get vaccinated anyway.
鈥淭he good news is, when you have the vaccine, you鈥檙e partially training your immune system to be able to fight. So by having the vaccine, it鈥檚 giving you an opportunity to avoid hospitalization and death.鈥�
Genevieve Cadieux of Ottawa Public Health says anyone with a chronic health problem, like heart or lung disease, should definitely still be immunized.
This year鈥檚 flu vaccine is believed to be effective in between 10 and 20 per cent of recipients for the dominant H3N2 strain, and 55 per cent effective in the B/Yamagata strain.
When should people seek medical help?
Dr. Bogoch says it鈥檚 normal to have a fever, fatigue and achy muscles with influenza, but it doesn鈥檛 mean you need medical attention.
鈥淲hen people start to have trouble with things like breathing or they鈥檙e unable to keep up with their regular fluid intake and they look dehydrated, it鈥檚 time go and get help,鈥� he says.
Dr. Bruno DiGravio, the chief of pediatrics at Grand River Hospital in Kitchener, Ont., said that parents who suspect the flu shouldn鈥檛 bring their children to the hospital unless they鈥檙e having trouble breathing.
鈥淵ou know your child鈥檚 in trouble if they can鈥檛 drink a glass of water without panting,鈥� he said.
What are some preventative measures?
Tetro recommended regularly washing your hands, keeping surfaces clean, and taking preventative measures if you have contracted the flu by wearing a mask or scarf.
鈥淪tudies have shown that you can prevent 60 per cent of the droplets that carry those viruses by making sure that [your mouth] is covered by a scarf.鈥�
With reports from CTV Ottawa and CTV Kitchener
