Experts warn Alberta could be in for tough flu season

It seems many Albertans are kicking off the holiday season sick.

As cold and flu season ramps up, health experts warn this year could hit harder than usual.

“Are we going to have a tough flu season? Probably. Australia had two tough ones in a row,” said Dr. Isaac Bogoch, an infectious disease specialist with the University of Toronto.

Australia, where flu season begins earlier, has faced back-to-back severe outbreaks. Bogoch explains that early trends in countries like Australia often serve as a warning of what’s to come closer to home.

“We’re looking at some other countries in the Northern Hemisphere who are seeing a lot of H3N2,” he noted.

Alberta is currently reporting more than 2,000 lab-confirmed influenza cases, with 519 hospitalizations and 31 patients in intensive care. In Calgary alone, over 1,000 cases have been confirmed.

Bogoch says this year’s flu shot is designed to protect against both H1N1 and H3N2 strains, but it’s not yet clear which will dominate.

“It’s not quite clear if H3N2 will be more dominant than H1N1, but if it is, usually H3N2 seasons are more severe than H1N1 seasons,” he says.

Holiday gatherings fuel spread

With the festive season in full swing, gatherings, shopping trips, and holiday dinners create ideal conditions for viruses to spread.

“We are spending more time indoors, in closer quarters, whether it’s dinners or gatherings or at the mall,” said Calgary pharmacist Sumaiya Hasan of CurisRx in Trinity Hills. “We’re just in closer contact with a lot more people. A lot of viruses thrive in these colder, drier conditions.”

Hasan points to lower-than-normal vaccination rates this year and stresses the importance of getting immunized.

“We are absolutely doing flu shots and those are always government funded,” she said. “Available to anyone, and we offer them on just a walk-in basis.”

Hasan also reminds Albertans that small precautions can make a big difference.

“It’s as easy as washing your hands and disinfecting things, but also things like adding a humidifier in your home. The cold, dry air tends to weaken our bodies’ immune mechanisms and makes it easier for viruses to thrive.”