Image Credit: CFJC Today/File Photo

By Silvia Senna

FLU SEASON

Health authorities urging people to get vaccinated amid three influenza-related deaths in children

Jan 4, 2024 | 5:30 PM

KAMLOOPS — Influenza activity is at the highest levels recorded in British Columbia since the start of the respiratory illness season. With that in mind health authorities are reminding people to take steps to reduce their risk of serious infection.

“The number of influenza and RSV infections continue to increase since October, but they are still within the limits that we were seeing before the pandemic,” explained Dr. Fatemeh Sabet, a medical health officer with Interior Health.

However, according to B.C. Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC), three children have died over the holidays with influenza-related complications.

“The rate of increase is especially higher in children,” said Dr. Sabet. “These unfortunate deaths happened in children with an influenza infection and other concurrent infections as well. So influenza has not been necessarily the main cause of the unfortunate deaths, but they have been contributing for sure to the complexity of the condition.”

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According to Dr. Sabet, one of the main concerns to doctors is bacterial infections along with influenza.

“Usually another bacterial infection happens and it really complicates and worsen the symptoms that the patient has and that is usually the course that leads to the unfortunate deaths that we have seen,” she explained.

With that being said, the safest option to prevent a serious illness is vaccination.

“We have vaccine for influenza and for COVID. By preventing those viral infections that we have vaccine for, we can prevent other secondary infections, bacterial infections as well and the complications,” said Dr. Sabet.

According to BCCDC, this year’s influenza vaccine appears to be well matched to the viruses circulating in the province.