A girl and her mother at the waiting room in a pediatrician clinic near Paris, France, on December 2, 2022, where the doctor added additional appointment slots to an already busy schedule amidst the bronchiolitis epidemic. (Photo by BERTRAND GUAY/AFP via Getty Images)
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Flu cases in Canada continue to rise sharply, with children and older adults particularly affected amid the influenza epidemic, according to the latest FluWatch report from the federal government.
“At the national level, influenza activity has continued to increase steeply as we enter the fifth week of the national influenza epidemic. All surveillance indicators are increasing and all are above expected levels typical of this time of year,” said the report released on Dec. 2.
Between Nov. 20 and Nov. 26, a total of 8,242 laboratory detections were reported. The figure represents a 40 percent increase from the previous week at 5,891. Provinces with “widespread activity” are Prince Edward Island, Alberta, and British Columbia, the report said.
Among detections for which age information was reported, about 46 percent (2,339 out of 5,096) are Canadians aged 0–19 years old.
Of the 1,152 influenza-associated hospitalizations reported by provinces and territories since the start of the flu season in August, children and older adults made up the highest proportion.
“The highest cumulative hospitalization rates are among children under 5 years of age (41/100,000 population) and adults 65 years of age and older 33/100,000 population),” the report said.
Specifically, children aged 2–4 have been hospitalized the most, with 203 admissions reported since August.
“Currently, the weekly number of pediatric hospitalizations being reported is above levels typically seen at the peak of the influenza season,” the report said.
For severe cases, 109 ICU admissions were reported to date, with 95 of them being pediatric cases from ages 0 to 16. Less than five influenza-associated deaths came from the pediatric categories, among the 36 counted.
The report noted that the latest influenza-like illness (ILI) rate was 3.1 percent above the typical seasonal levels, as is the rate of cough and fever countrywide.
“ILI symptoms are not specific to any one respiratory pathogen and can be due to influenza, or other respiratory viruses, including respiratory syncytial virus and SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19,” it said.