Influenza in Alberta: Slight increase for second week, 3 new deaths added

A nurse prepares a flu shot at the Salvation Army in Atlanta, Feb. 7, 2018. Canada's chief public health officer says more children are being hospitalized this flu season because of an early spike in a strain of influenza B, which hits young people hard and is circulating across the country while a strain that typically targets the elderly also makes the rounds. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP, David Goldman

Three more Albertans died from influenza in a one-week period, according to the latest data from health officials, while newly reported cases increased for the second time after 10 weeks of decline.

The total of 112 deaths makes the current flu season the second-highest of 14 flu seasons in the province. The 2014-15 season had the highest number of deaths, with 114.

The three people who died were adults. One person was aged 40-49, while the other two people were seniors aged 80-89.

The Edmonton zone reported two deaths, while the central zone reported one.

HOSPITALIZATIONS

This influenza season, 2,020 Albertans have required hospital care. There were 13 new admissions in the latest update.

This season has the second-highest number of hospitalizations in 14 seasons so far.

The Calgary zone has had the most patients requiring hospital care with 757, followed by the Edmonton zone’s 566.

Of the 13 new admissions between Feb. 5 and Feb. 11, 46 percent were 60 or older. One admission was a child aged four or under.

To date, 209 people have required intensive care. There were no new admissions in this update.

The majority of ICU patients this season have also been in the Calgary zone.

CASES

Alberta reported 58 new infections on Thursday, a slight increase for the second week in a row. The number of new cases had gone down for the 10 consecutive weeks prior.

According to Alberta Health data, this season has the second-highest number of cases in 14 seasons, with a total of 8,810 infections so far. The 2017-18 flu season had the highest number of cases with 9,115.

The Calgary zone has had the highest number of influenza cases in the province, with a total of 2,959 so far.

The Edmonton zone has the second-highest number of cases in Alberta with 2,542.

The Central zone has had 1,054 cases; the North zone has reported 1,570 cases; while the South zone has counted 679. Six cases have not been assigned a zone.

Influenza A has made up 99 per cent of this season’s laboratory-confirmed cases.

OUTBREAKS AND VACCINATIONS

There have been a total of 97 outbreaks in Alberta this season. Fifty-five per cent have been at supportive living and home living sites.There were no new outbreaks in this update.

More than 1.3 million influenza vaccines have been administered since Oct. 17, translating to 27.4 per cent of Albertans being immunized. There are also 63,685 more people vaccinated compared to this time last year.

Of Albertans aged 65 or older, 63.6 per cent have been vaccinated for influenza, while 27.7 per cent of children between six months and four years have their vaccine.

Alberta updates its influenza data on Thursdays.