Children’s hospitals seeing more flu cases as earlier season takes a toll
Global News
Flu season has arrived early, with CHEO reporting eight times more cases than last year as hospitals warn of rising infections among children and seniors.
Hospitals are seeing more children sick with flu after the virus began circulating earlier than usual this year.
The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario said it saw eight times more kids testing positive for influenza last month than it did in November last year.
A spokesperson for CHEO said the difference is stark — 17 confirmed cases last November compared to 145 cases this November.
CHEO’s flu hospitalizations have doubled, with 12 children admitted last month compared to six the previous November.
Montreal Children’s Hospital pediatric infectious disease specialist Dr. Jesse Papenburg said a surveillance network covering 15 children’s hospitals across the country shows a rise in emergency department visits for the flu.
Doctors are urging people to get their flu shot now, noting it takes about two weeks for protection to kick in.
Papenburg said flu season usually hits school-age children first because they are more exposed to the virus through interactions with their classmates and friends.
“Thankfully, school-age children are at lower risk of having severe complications of their influenza infection,” he said.
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