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
Western University researchers unlock potential 'cure' for ALS
New research out of London, Ont.'s Western University is shedding light on a potential cure for ALS, in which the targeting of the interaction between two proteins can halt or fully reverse the disease's progression.
What Michael Cohen said on the stand in Trump hush money case
The star prosecution witness in Donald Trump's hush money trial took the stand Monday with testimony that could help shape the outcome of the first criminal case against an American president.
Collapsed Baltimore bridge span comes down with a boom after crews set off chain of explosives
Crews conducted a controlled demolition Monday to break down the largest remaining span of the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore.
Police release 3D images of young child found in an Ontario river two years ago
Police have released a three-dimensional image of a young child whose remains were discovered in the Grand River in Dunnville, Ont. almost two years ago.
A child killer legally changed his name in B.C. The province is trying to stop that from happening again
The BC NDP have tabled legislation aimed at stopping people who have committed certain heinous acts from changing their names.
Security video caught admitted serial killer disposing of bodies in Winnipeg garbage bins
Security video caught admitted serial killer Jeremy Skibicki on multiple late-night outings, disposing of body parts in nearby garbage bins and dumpsters in the middle of the night.
Kamala Harris drops F-bomb during White House live-stream
U.S. Vice-President Kamala Harris used a profanity on Monday while offering advice to young Asian Americans, Native Hawaiians and Pacific Islanders about how to break through barriers.
Behind the barricades: How protesters spend their first days in a new encampment
Students in Montreal describe life in a newly erected encampment in Montreal as a whirlwind of preparations, from facing rain and a potential police crackdown to setting up a space for the exchange of ideas.
Next 48 hours will be 'extremely challenging' for B.C. wildfire crews near Fort Nelson: officials
A wildfire burning dangerously close to Fort Nelson, B.C., has grown to more than 50 square kilometres, and officials are warning that the blaze's behaviour is expected to become more volatile over the next 48 hours.