Health units across the province are reporting an increase in the number of flu cases in their areas, and Greater Sudbury hasn't avoided the virus.
Public health nurse Karly McGibbon, with the Sudbury and District Health Unit, said there's definitely an increase in flu cases at this time of year, compared to previous years.
“Usually in late December and early January is when we start to see a spike, but we're seeing that spike a few weeks earlier, and we expect to see another spike within the next week or two,” McGibbon said. “What we're seeing different this year, though, is an increase in Influenza Type B cases. We usually don't see B until later in the year, and we're seeing a lot more of it now.”
Influenza is a respiratory infection caused by a virus. The infection is spread from person-to-person through droplets that are sprayed into the environment through activities like coughing or sneezing, or are inhaled by others nearby.
The circulating influenza virus strains change each year so people can be susceptible to influenza infection every year, even if they have been sick with influenza before or have received flu shots in previous years. Everyone is susceptible to influenza, but young children, older adults, and people with weakened immune systems or those with chronic health conditions are at highest risk of serious complications from infection.
“It's not too late to get your flu shot,” McGibbon said.
Dr. Gary Bota, Emergency Department Lead for the North East LHIN, provided a few suggestions for you to stay health and well:
- Get your flu vaccination. It’s advisable that everyone (except infants younger than six months) gets the shot. Some people have a higher risk of complications from catching the flu including seniors, children under age five, pregnant women, people with underlying health conditions and indigenous people. Parents will also often get their children vaccinated but not opt for the shot themselves. As a caregiver, you need it too.
- Flu shots are available through your primary care provider, local public health unit, pharmacy and workplace wellness clinics. Children, between the ages of six months to four years, can only be vaccinated at a family physician or nurse practitioner’s office or health unit. To find out the nearest place to get your free flu shot, check out this map at ontario.ca/page/get-flu-shot, as well as other facts.
- Wash your hands. Often. Encourage your loved ones to wash frequently, as well, as this is a good defense against colds and flus. Use hot water and soap and rub hands together for at least 15 seconds. If water and soap is not available, then opt for hand sanitizer.
- Don’t touch your face. The flu virus can live on your hands for up to three hours. It can enter your body through your eyes, nose or mouth.
- Clean and disinfect shared surfaces. Wipe door handles, telephone receivers and computer keyboards and counter tops. The virus can live on these surfaces for up to eight hours.
- Cover your face when sneezing/coughing: If possible sneeze/cough into a tissue or if you don’t have one, aim for your upper sleeve.
- Stay home if you are sick, and especially don’t visit elderly relatives in long-term care or retirement homes. This sounds logical, but it’s amazing how many people head into work or public spaces only to infect others around them. Get some rest, treat muscle aches with heating pads or hot water bottles, and drink plenty of liquids, avoiding caffeine, alcohol and tobacco products. You can also speak to your primary care provider about over the counter medications – remember to never give acetylsalicylic acid (ASA or Aspirin) to children or teenagers.
- Consider options for non-urgent care. If you’re not feeling well and your situation is non-urgent, there are several options for care beyond your local emergency department. Contact your primary care provider – family physician or nurse practitioner. Check the location of the nearest walk-in clinic or get free access to a Registered Nurse 24 hours a day, seven days a week through the Telehealth Ontario service at 1-866-797-0000 or (TTY): 1-866-797-0007.
“Don’t become one of Canada’s statistics – one of the 12,200 hospitalized patients or one of the 3,500 who perish from the flu each year,” said Bota in a news release. “And no one wants to spend the holidays sick with the flu or to have to make an urgent trip to the ED.”
