Flu cases see 'significant increase' across northeastern Ontario, say health units

Health units across northeastern Ontario are reporting a "significant increase" in flu cases so far this season when compared to previous years.

In Greater Sudbury and the surrounding region there have been 209 confirmed flu cases so far.

Karly McGibbon, a public health nurse with Public Health Sudbury and Districts, said that number only represents casesthat were confirmed in a lab because a person had to receive medical treatment.

"I can tell you that we know there's many, many more [cases] in the Sudbury region," she said.

McGibbon said in past years, even pre-pandemic, only a handful of cases would be reported to the health unit before late December.

"I don't think it's a surprise considering the general public has not been exposed to influenza the last couple of years like it had been in the past,- David Perrault, North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit

The flu season typically runs from September to April.

"Normally in years past we would get maybe one here or there and we would really start to see them coming in late December, early January," McGibbon said.

"So to have over 200 at this time is astronomical. We would normally have like about five."

McGibbon said the best thing people can do to protect themselves from the flu is to get vaccinated. She said the health unit has distributed 34,000 doses so far this season. But that doesn't count vaccines from pharmacies in the region.

'Not really a surprise'

David Perrault, who manages the communicable disease control program at the North Bay Parry Sound District Health Unit, said the higher numbers for flu cases this season are not surprising.

"I don't think it's a surprise considering the general public has not been exposed to influenza the last couple of years like it had been in the past," he said.

"There are no restrictions, people are not wearing face coverings. So it's really not a surprise that the numbers of flu cases have gone up."

Public health measures to stop the spread of COVID-19, such as social distancing and masking, also proved to be effective against the flu.

Perrault said 410 flu cases have been reported in the North Bay Parry Sound district so far. In a normal flu season they would see about 320 total reported cases.

He said the health unit has administered 4,755 flu vaccine doses as of Dec. 7.

Numbers likely much higher than what's reported

Dr. John Tuinema, the acting medical officer of health with Algoma Public Health, said he has seen a "significant increase" in flu cases compared to the last two years.

So far this season, the Algoma district has had more than 300 reported flu cases.

"This number is most likely a very small representation and it's likely many times higher," Tuinema said.

Tuinema said hospitals and health-care workers are dealing with multiple virus seasons "all at once." In addition to the flu, COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) are putting a strain on hospitals.

"So we need to be particularly cautious about flu this year because it's having a combined effect with many viruses," he said.

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Krystal Drouin, a co-ordinator with the infectious disease program at the Porcupine Health Unit, said the health unit can't share numbers about flu cases "because it's really not an accurate picture of how the influenza season is going based on circulation of the virus in our area."

But Drouin said numbers in the district seem up compared to recent years.

"We have seen more cases than normal and this is, you know, attributed towardmasking for a few years, staying indoors more often, not being out in the public as much," she said.