B.C. health minister acknowledges children's flu deaths after leak, doesn't explain secrecy
B.C.’s health minister did not disclose an exceptionally high number of influenza deaths among children until pressed by reporters Wednesday, a day after CTV News reported six such tragedies have been recorded in recent weeks.
Adrian Dix confirmed the numbers and said he believed some of the deceased were teenagers. Sources previously told CTV News there were toddlers who died as well.
Dix did not explain why the public had to find out about the deaths through information leaked from a physicians’ meeting on Monday.
“We don't talk about particular cases but this (is) absolutely devastating for everyone in the health-care system, but obviously and most importantly for the families involved,” he told reporters after being re-sworn as minister. “It shows the risks of the flu.”
That comment is particularly noteworthy since Dix and two of the top health officials in the province held a press conference on Monday to urge parents to vaccinate their children against the flu, but did not mention anything about fatalities.
Typically, there are only five or six child deaths from influenza recorded annually across the entire country, according to the Impact Surveillance Network run by the Canadian Pediatric Society.
THE BCCDC FINALLY RESPONDS
CTV News has been asking the B.C. Centre for Disease Control for statistics on how many British Columbians have died from respiratory illness since September, broken down by age.
After ignoring multiple follow-up attempts, on Wednesday the BCCDC confirmed the six pediatric fatalities but did not provide any further information on other age groups.
Officials did, however, reveal that “early findings indicate some of the children experienced secondary bacterial infections contributing to severe illness which can be a complication of influenza,” and Dix said reviews are underway in each of the deaths.
The BC Coroners Service has confirmed it is investigating the deaths of five minors in November alone where “influenza was preliminarily identified as either the immediate, antecedent or underlying cause of death, or as a significant condition.”
Dix did not directly answer a question as to whether hospital capacity issues and staffing shortages impacted the survival of the children, instead saying COVID-19 and influenza were to blame for pressures on the system, which health-care workers have described as being in a state of collapse for weeks.
"These have been the most difficult conditions the health-care system has ever faced,” said Dix.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
He replaced Mickey Mantle. Now baseball's oldest living major leaguer is turning 100
The oldest living former major leaguer, Art Schallock turns 100 on Thursday and is being celebrated in the Bay Area and beyond as the milestone approaches.
What a urologist wants you to know about male infertility
When opposite sex couples are trying and failing to get pregnant, the attention often focuses on the woman. That’s not always the case.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
It could take years to catch up on child vaccinations in Ontario post-pandemic
Ontario is still playing catch up on routine vaccinations that many children missed during the pandemic and public health officials are warning that it could take years to solve the problem.