Alberta’s top doctor warns parents about concerning, ‘severe’ flu season

Alberta’s new chief medical officer of health wrote a letter to parents Wednesday, warning them of a flu season that could be “worse than we’ve seen in years.”

Alberta Health released its latest flu data Thursday, showing there were 3,648 laboratory-confirmed cases and 550 hospitalizations, 52 of which resulted in admission to the intensive care unit.

This is an increase from 2,082 laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza in the province a week earlier. One week earlier, there were also 355 people in hospital with the flu, of whom 34 were in the ICU.

As of the week of November 19, there were 12 deaths attributed to the flu (two were in children between the ages of one and nine, seven were in Albertans aged 70 and over).

That’s an increase of six deaths from the last time Alberta Health released flu data last Thursday.

Dr. Mark Joffe and Dr. Laura McDougall, senior medical officer of health, asked all school divisions in Alberta to distribute their November 23 letter.

“In the last few weeks we have seen a large increase in cough and fever type illness in our schools,” it reads in part.

“We are concerned that this flu season will be worse than we have seen in years, and that illness will continue to disrupt school, sports and upcoming holiday gatherings.”

“The flu season in Australia often predicts the type of season we will see in Canada. This year, Australia has had a particularly severe respiratory virus season with flu and COVID-19 rising at the same time. They saw the highest rates of flu illness in children and teenagers, with children under the age of 16 accounting for the majority of all flu hospitalizations this year.”

The letter explained that most children recover from the flu, but some children may become very ill and require hospital treatment.

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Joffe and McDougall said this season’s flu vaccine offers protection against H3N2, the most common flu strain currently in Alberta.

“Flu vaccines are safe, effective and offer the best defense against serious illness.”

In Alberta, the flu shot is recommended for all children six months and older. It’s free and appointments for children under five can be booked by calling 811 or online. Children aged five and over can get their injection at a pharmacy or participating doctor’s clinic.

To date, 911,529 doses of flu vaccine have been administered in Alberta, meaning approximately 20.5 per cent of Albertans have been vaccinated.

The two senior health officials also urged using a high-quality, well-fitting mask, especially in crowded indoor environments.

“Wearing a mask can help reduce your risk of getting sick and help protect others from exposure. Individuals must be supported regardless of their choice to mask or not,” the letter reads.

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In addition to the vaccine and masking, Joffe and McDougall offered other tips to prevent the flu:

• Stay home when you feel sick;
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick;
• Wash hands frequently with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds or use alcohol-based hand sanitizer;
• Cover your cough;
• Avoid touching eyes, nose or mouth with unwashed hands;
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces and items at home, especially when someone in your home is sick.

“Thank you for all you do to keep your families and communities healthy,” the letter concluded.

Dr. Lynora Saxinger, an infectious disease specialist from the University of Alberta, was surprised at how early the season started.

She said that while Alberta and Western Canada usually start it before the rest of Canada, it usually reaches closer to Christmas even here.

“The thing that I find a bit worrying is that it’s picking up very quickly, we don’t know when it’s going to slow down, and we’ve easily exceeded a peak that has happened much later in previous years. It is aggressively ripping through the community,” she said.

“It hasn’t started spinning yet.”

Saxinger urges everyone to get their flu shot as soon as possible. She said early estimates show the vaccine offers “good protection,” which translates to about a 60 to 70 percent chance of preventing severe disease.

“Imperfect protection still reduces the severity,” she added.

With other diseases – RSV and COVID – circulating, how can parents know when it’s time to seek help for their sick child?

“The thing to guide people will be how seriously ill they are,” Saxinger said.

“If you start seeing a child that’s not eating, drinking or breathing normally, then yes, unfortunately – although I expect there’s a lot of congestion – it’s something you should at least run through your provider, and then find out if you must go in to get a more formal assessment.

“Flu is usually pretty tough for the first few days and then turns around, but you never want to wait too long because kids can get really sick.”

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