Influenza activity in Canada is declining after an unusual increase in late spring respiratory virus that has spread little during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Around this time of year, flu cases in Canada tend to decline steadily after the fall and winter seasons, but a resurgence in early April when numerous COVID-19 measures were lifted created a anomaly in this trend.
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Influenza cases have been low since the onset of COVID-19 in 2020, but with the pandemic being reduced in certain parts of the world, other respiratory viruses are beginning to emerge and Canadians should be prepared, especially with be aware of what is happening in Australia.
“Their number of (flu) cases is above the five-year average for this time of year.… So they are seeing quite a few cases of flu-like illness and confirmed flu,” said Dr. Susy. Hota, a specialist in infectious diseases at the University of Toronto Health Network.
“It’s a forerunner of what we might face.”
Read more: Coronavirus prevention crushed Australia’s flu season. Can Canada expect the same?
The Australian flu season, which usually lasts from May to October, has long been examined by Canadian health experts to prepare for the flu season here, which typically begins between late October and early January.
In Australia, flu cases have risen since early March and have risen in recent weeks.
Between May 9 and May 22, there were 26,193 laboratory-confirmed flu cases in Australia, more than three times the previous reporting period between April 25 and May 8, he said. the government in its latest report. The country has registered 38,743 cases so far this year.
In Queensland, the regional government has made flu vaccines free and cases are doubling every week in the area.
“We expect cases to peak in August during a normal flu season, but statewide flu notifications have doubled each week and continue to rise considerably with 4,230 new cases last week,” he said. Queensland Health Minister Yvette D’Ath in May. 31 news releases.
“The current trend in the data indicates that we can overcome the peaks experienced in the 2017 and 2019 flu seasons, but also that we can reach these figures much earlier this season.”
Read more: Almost no Canadian caught the flu last year. What can we expect this fall?
As Canadian flu cases began to rise in the spring, COVID-19 measures designed to protect the new virus community began to increase nationwide as disease levels began to decline.
According to experts, these measures helped protect against other respiratory infections such as the flu, which has been virtually non-existent in Canada since the onset of the pandemic.
As of this reporting season, which Ottawa indicates begins Aug. 29, Canada has recorded 12,693 flu cases as of May 28, it said in its June 3 report. On average, the country has 46,539 cases registered at this time of year.
When Global News reported the spread of the flu in early May, Canada had so far reported 1,842 flu cases.
Read more: Influenza cases hit historic lows during pandemic: researcher
Ottawa recorded 69 flu screenings during the 2020-21 flu season. Typically, about 52,000 cases are detected each year.
Aside from the easement of COVID-19 restrictions, part of the reason Canadians saw an increase in flu cases was due to increased testing, said Dr. Gerald Evans, a disease specialist. Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario.
A total of 16,031 flu tests were conducted in Canada between May 22 and 28, the government said in its June 3 report, which was above the weekly average of 3,197 tests before the flu. pandemic.
Australia is also testing for more flu this season with COVID-19 circulating along with other respiratory illnesses, Evans said.
“When spring arrives, usually in any other year, the number of flu tests we do is much lower than what we were doing before the flu season came and during the first (of the season) period,” he said. he told Global News.
“What was happening this year was that we were still doing a lot of COVID testing, but … a lot of that involved flu testing, so the result of which was we were doing a lot more testing this spring, which it allowed us to see these cases of the flu, as they appeared. “
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With the expected resurgence of COVID-19 in the fall, it is important for Canadians to keep up with their vaccines and practice protections such as masking and good hygiene designed to stop the spread of coronavirus, Hota and Evans said. .
“We will probably get out this summer without being too much of a problem with the flu and hopefully COVID, unless something really changes in terms of different variants, but both are still active and we need to be aware of what it could be. it will happen when we get to the cooler seasons, “Hota said.
“If you use measures to prevent COVID-19, they will probably be effective against the flu,” Evans said.
“If people can use these methods, even if they’re not required to, that’s really going to help us keep those flu numbers down.”
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