THUNDER BAY — Seasonal flu activity is picking up across Northwestern Ontario, sending some patients to the intensive care unit with severe symptoms.
The Thunder Bay District Health Unit says the number of lab-confirmed positive cases of the flu has increased in the last two weeks.
"A number of our reports have come from people being tested at the hospital," said Diana Gowanlock, manager of infectious diseases at the TBDHU.
Gowanlock said that because the data has not been analyzed yet, she doesn't have statistics, adding that the reports are only based on patients from whom specimens have been collected for lab tests.
For the same reason, it's also difficult to track whether specific segments of the local population are coming down with the flu at a greater rate than others.
However, Gowanlock said the TBDHU has "noticed in the last week a number of positive cases involving young children."
She noted that could be because parents are more likely to bring children to a doctor if they are ill, whereas adults don't always seek a diagnosis for themselves.
"But prior to the last couple of weeks, we were noticing the flu in various ages, with various strains," reflecting a pattern that was seen right across the country, Gowanlock said.
The flu usually affects children and the elderly more severely than the rest of the population.
On Jan. 17, St. Joseph's Hospital declared an outbreak of influenza A in its 5 North wing.
Earlier in the season, influenza B was already showing up in Thunder Bay. It's a strain not typically seen until later in the flu season.
"Nobody seemed to know why that was," Gowanlock said, "but now we're seeing everything, influenza B, and influenza A, both H1N1 strains and H3 strains."
Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre confirms more patients are recently showing up in the Emergency Department with significant flu symptoms.
"We have had some cases coming into emerg and being admitted to the hospital," said Peter Voros, executive vice-president of in-patient services.
Voros said there aren't many cases to date, "but the cases we've had have been quite severe...severe enough to be admitted to our ICU."
He said the hospital always expects the rate of flu-related admissions to increase around this time of year, and is preparing for that to happen "in the next coming days or weeks."
Voros advises residents who feel they have the flu to reach out first to their doctor or nurse practitioner, or visit a walk-in clinic.
"However, if someone is experiencing fever of 40 degrees or above for more than three days, difficulty keeping down fluids, or just so unwell they feel it is an urgent situation, they should be coming to emerg," he said.
Gowanlock said the flu vaccine provides protection against strains of both influenza A and B, and that people who haven't received it should arrange to get a shot as soon as possible.
"It's only January. There's still time, especially with the viruses that are circulating right now," she said.
