Alberta Health officials are bracing for a busy flu season — with seven deaths and 69 people already sent to hospital this fall — and nearly half of the country’s flu cases reported in Alberta so far.

Dr. Gerry Predy, senior medical officer of health for Alberta Health Services, said cases across the province so far this fall had been sporadic “but the level of influenza activity in the community we’re seeing now — including reported outbreak activity — tells us that influenza season has begun.”

According to the most recent Flu Watch report put out by the Public Health Agency of Canada, up until Nov. 8, 142 of Canada’s total 347 influenza A cases have been reported in Alberta, just under half. It’s a portion that could rise given the most recently-calculated week, from Nov. 2 to Nov. 8, where 56 of Canada’s total 97 flu cases were in Alberta, well over half.

As of Nov. 15, Alberta has added another 77 cases, bringing the province’s total to 219 cases.

Amid the growing number of flu cases, more are also heading to hospital, with a significant spike in emergency room visits related to flu in Calgary between Nov. 2 and Nov. 8. Over that time, nearly six per cent of ER visits were patients with flu-like symptoms as compared to the previous week when slightly less than four per cent of visits were related to flu.

Of the Alberta cases, in Calgary alone, 17 people have been hospitalized for flu, and one person has died.

Dr. Judy MacDonald, zone medical officer of health for Alberta Health Services, says Alberta is seeing a higher proportion of flu right now and it may be for a number of reasons, from excellent reporting practices, to a younger population or a higher rate of travel.

“We have excellent surveillance practices here,” she said.

“It may also be because we are definitely a younger population here in Alberta, and with more kids, they tend to be the ones that get it and spread it to other members of the family.

“But we also see a high number of Albertans travelling a lot too, so that also can be a contributor.”

MacDonald is urging all Albertans to get immunized free of charge as soon as possible at either an AHS clinic, their family doctor or their local pharmacist.

More than 926,500 doses of the vaccine have been administered as of Nov. 15, but MacDonald says there are more than 2 million vaccines available this season, “so we are only half way there. We have a long way to go.”

Information on the flu vaccine and clinics can be found on the AHS website.

eferguson@calgaryherald.com

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