Many Falling Sick As Influenza Spreads Throughout Manitoba

Many people started getting sick early this fall, especially in schools and workplaces. Although COVID-19 is still spreading, this increase in sickness was the cause of Influenza A and Influenza B.

Since it was a change of season period, many thought getting sick was just par for the course. However, the number of positive cases of Influenza started to skyrocket. People were shocked by the number of people getting sick by it, “…a tidal wave we’re going to have a big influenza season, I expect, this year.” said a professor with Western University, Dr. Sameer Elsayed. That was early November, with data released this shows what Dr. Sameer Elsayed expected was true.

“Influenza activity increased in the last five weeks. In Week 47, Influenza A test positivity increased to 21.4%, slightly lower than the 23.1% that was observed nationally. This increase in activity is earlier than would be expected for this time of year. “said the government of Manitoba in the Provincial Respiratory Surveillance Report. The report showed a decline in the Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) test positivity, which decreased by almost 3.5%, going down from 5.6% to 2.2%. The number of COVID-19 cases is still the same, but hospital admissions related to COVID-19 have decreased over the past week.

More people are getting sick due to Influenza A specifically, and some citizens have noticed that it’s very hard to book an appointment for an Influenza vaccination compared to last year. “To me, it feels like so many people are booking Influenza vaccinations compared to last year, back then people were more focused on getting vaccinated against COVID-19; it’s a very interesting thing… what’s happening right now.” said a Manitoban.

Sources:

• https://winnipeg.ctvnews.ca/influenza-activity-increasing-in-manitoba-rsv-down-slightly-1.6181798 
• https://www.gov.mb.ca/health/publichealth/surveillance/influenza/index.html 
• https://www.cbc.ca/news/health/early-flu-cases-canada-1.6647860

– Halla Alhamed, U Multicultural

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of U Multicultural.