Province sees a ‘significant’ number of flu cases

2,664 hospitalized in Alberta this season, 78 have died

A total of 78 influenza-related deaths have been recorded in Alberta this flu season, including 27 in the Calgary region.

The latest data released by Alberta Health Services on Thursday indicates that in addition to the 27 people who died in Calgary after becoming infected with influenza, there were 19 deaths in the Edmonton zone, 18 in the central zone, eight in the north and six in the south.

According to the health authority, 2,664 Albertans with lab-confirmed influenza have been admitted to hospital, with the largest number in the Calgary zone, at 1,011, followed by 874 in the Edmonton area.

“There were a significant number of cases this year, and outbreaks, and so we’re still managing those,” said Dr. Jason Cabaj, medical officer of health for the Calgary zone of Alberta Health Services.

Cabaj said the effectiveness of the flu vaccine against the dominant strain has been lower than health officials would like. However, he added, the best approach for people to protect themselves against influenza is still to get vaccinated.

More than 5,300 cases of Influenza A have been recorded in Alberta so far in the 2017-2018 season, while over 2,800 cases of Influenza B have been logged.

Over 1.21 million doses of flu vaccine have been administered to Albertans.

Cabaj said the flu vaccine target set by Alberta Health this season was 35 per cent of the population — a goal that hasn’t yet been reached.

“We are ahead of the similar point last year, so that’s the positive side,” said Cabaj.

“On the down side, we’d certainly like to see that number always higher than it is.”

Cabaj said high-risk groups, in particular, are urged to get the vaccine, such as young children, older adults, people with chronic conditions and pregnant women.

The data collected by AHS spans the time period of Aug. 28, 2017, to March 3, 2018.

The flu season typically peaks around the end of one calendar year and the beginning of the next, Cabaj said. But he noted the late flu season is unpredictable, depending on which viruses are circulating.