The flu, or influenza, gets talked about like it’s something that commonly happens in the winter and if you get it, no big deal, you just have to cope with feeling crummy for a few days.
Not true. Some people are in bed with sniffles and a fever that passes, but the flu can be a hard-hitting wallop to your system as it tries to fight off the infection. That added stress can lead to serious complications like pneumonia or stroke, even in healthy people. And if you have underlying health problems such as diabetes, asthma or heart disease, the risk is that much greater. The virus spreads easily and can infect your nose, throat and lungs.
Every year in Canada an estimated five to 10 per cent of adults and as many as 20 to 30 per cent of children are
, typically in the late fall and winter. Kids are back to school, and what’s now called “freshman flu” strikes the wave of college and university students starting their first fall term. It’s also a time of year when we’re all spending more time indoors in closer contact with others.
The Public Health Agency of Canada notes the
was “relatively early, extraordinary in intensity, and short in length,” with a total of 74,344 laboratory-confirmed influenza detections reported out of 1,188,962 total laboratory tests. This is both the most detections, and most tests ever recorded in a single season, as test counts have increased dramatically from pre-pandemic seasons that saw an average of 276,592 tests and 47,018 detections from 2014 to 2015 through to the 2018 to 2019 season. The flu is making the rounds as people, including vulnerable seniors and parents with young kids, are turning to healthcare providers for diagnosis and care.