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H1N1 cases increasing in Alberta

Dec 27, 2018 | 3:56 PM

 

MEDICINE HAT, AB — As the winter drags on. the flu season keeps getting mentioned less, until it ends in March.

However, influenza hasn’t slowed down, in fact, the number of people hospitalized in the south zone of Alberta has spiked over the last couple of weeks

Twelve people had been hospitalized in the South Zone with the flu as of December 13, and just a week later, that number had grown to 22.

Dr. Vivien Suttorp says the majority of those hospitalized have not been immunized.

“The vaccine for this strain is very good,” says Dr. Vivien Suttorp. “It’s very effective, in fact, over 80% of hospitalized cases did not have a vaccine this year.”

Two types of influenza are circulating around Alberta this season, with the familiar H1N1 affecting about 90 per cent of flu victims.

“The H1N1 impacts young people, pregnant women, young people with chronic conditions,” says Dr. Suttorp. “This where we’ve seen people hospitalized.”

Young people tend to get vaccinated less, putting them more at risk for H1N1.

In addition, people over 65 are less susceptible in 2018.

“We have seen no outbreaks of influenza in any long-term care or containment care facilities in the South Zone.”

As of December 20, 201 people in the south zone had laboratory confirmed cases of H1N1 and no fatalities.

Alberta wide, there’s been 3,786 cases of laboratory confirmed H1N1, and 15 fatalities.

“During an influenza season, which is five or six months long, we can see different strains circulating at different times,” says Suttorp. “All strains are captured in the vaccine, and it’s never too late to get your influenza vaccine.”