Quiet flu season in the region
Posted Jan 12, 2012 08:12:54 AM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
There haven’t been a lot of flu cases reported around the region this season.
The last flu clinic put on by Region of Waterloo Public health was held today in Cambridge.
And so far this season, Manager of Vaccine Preventable Disease, Linda Black tells 570 News, it hasn’t been too bad, “Relatively mild season so far. There have been 3 lab confirmed cases of influenza, one influenza related hospitalization in the region.”
Black adds, they are getting later in the “typical” flu season, “Flu season can be up until April and where we get a peak just depends on the season. Last year we peaked at the end of January, so we still could see quite a few cases, there’s still lots of time.”
The number of reported cases doesn’t reflect though how many people may actually have had the flu, as not a lot of people get it confirmed but says people are more aware of ways to prevent getting sick, “People are more sort of cognisant of surfaces and what’s dirty, what’s not. A lot of people do use anti bacterial soaps and things like that, and I don’t think that’s necessary. As long as you’re using good hand washing and infection control…practice covering your cough and discarding of used Kleenex. But of course the flu shot is one of the ways that we can minimize the severity of symptoms if you do get the flu or prevent it all together.”
