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The number is high for a province where typically fewer than three children die a year from the flu.
Publication date:
December 8, 2022 • 43 minutes ago • Read 4 minutes 5 comments Health officials are urging people to get their children vaccinated against the flu. Postmedia News photo
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At least six children have died in BC this season from flu-related illnesses, with southern BC one of the hardest hit regions in Canada by the national flu epidemic.
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The death toll for children under 19 is high in a province where two children die from the flu in a normal year.
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Content of the article
Dr. Brian Conway, medical director of the Vancouver Center for Infectious Diseases, said it’s a historic year for the flu in British Columbia.
“This is epic. … It’s a big, big problem,” Conway said. He said BC has already reached the number of flu cases it normally reports for an entire year, 4,000, in the early part of the season.
Reported cases do not capture all cases of influenza, as only those who test positive are reported, usually in a hospital setting.
In a normal year, two children might die, and they would usually have other health problems.
Statistics compiled by Health Canada show that besides southern BC, Alberta has had the most widespread flu activity.
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The flu had subsided during the COVID-19 pandemic, but cases soared as societies lifted restrictions. Countries like Australia and New Zealand in the southern hemisphere had high numbers of flu last summer, which is their winter.
Earlier this week, BC health officials warned that after two years of COVID-19 restrictions, young children and other vulnerable people are at higher risk of getting very sick from the flu this season.
Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said this year’s strain of influenza A, or H3N2, has been tough on younger children, sometimes causing secondary infections that cause serious complications and, in cases rare, “tragic results”.
BC health officials had not initially released information about the six deaths, but they have since been confirmed by BC Health Minister and Center for Disease Control Adrian Dix. The BC Coroners Service says they are investigating five deaths of children under the age of 19 in November where the flu was suspected.
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When reporters asked Wednesday if pressures on the health care system contributed to the children’s deaths, Dix said the problem is the flu.
“It is devastating news for the families. It shows the significant dangers the flu can have for many children,” Dix said.
In a statement, the BC Center for Disease Control said initial findings from the six deaths indicate that some of the children experienced secondary bacterial infections that contributed to severe illness, a known but rare complication of the flu.
At least two families of children who died from complications from the flu have spoken publicly, one saying their son developed myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, and another saying their son developed a bacterial infection after a case of ‘strep became septic.
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Community fundraisers have been set up for two families from Richmond and Kelowna, the Cabana and Loseth families, who lost six- and nine-year-old daughters.
In an email, Centers for Disease Control spokeswoman Heather Amos said, “It’s important to know that influenza-associated death in previously healthy children remains rare.”
Surveillance information collected by Health Canada shows that the flu season has started earlier than in previous years and has seen a rapid increase. In previous years, cases have plateaued and then declined as the weather warmed in the spring.
Sarah Otto, an epidemiologist at the University of BC, said the flu is largely tracked through this surveillance data and then compared to previous years to determine severity.
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Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, epidemiologists have used computer models to predict the progress of the coronavirus.
Those same methods aren’t used to project how flu will behave in the future, so it’s hard to predict when it will peak, said Otto, a zoologist who specializes in mathematical modeling.
“Right now, we’re seeing (the flu) take off. But is that going to change next week? I don’t think we have a very good prediction toolbox,” Otto said.
Both Otto and Conway emphasized that the best thing people can do to protect themselves from the flu and minimize serious illness is to vaccinate themselves and their children. The flu vaccine is free and available at pharmacies, clinics and doctor’s offices.
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They also said people should stay home if they’re unwell, wash their hands “obsessively,” Conway said, and wear masks indoors.
With a file from Katie DeRosa
ghoekstra@postmedia.com
twitter.com/gordon_hoekstra
vaccine blitz
Health officials are launching a blitz of vaccines to protect children and families ahead of the holidays.
Several health authorities will be offering flu shots this weekend.
People who want to get a flu shot can just go to pop-up clinics, without calling ahead or making an appointment. They also do not need to register with the province’s vaccination system, unless they prefer to make an appointment.
For clinic locations, visit your health authority’s website:
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• Vancouver Coastal Health• Fraser Health• Island Health• Interior Health• Northern Health
Clinics may also dispense COVID-19 vaccinations at the same time. Vaccinations are free for all people over the age of six months.
ticrawford@postmedia.com
— with archives from Joe Ruttle and The Canadian Press
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