Dr. Bonnie Henry acknowledges flu deaths of B.C. children, promises weekly reports going forward
B.C. health officials will now be reporting on the number of pediatric deaths from the flu weekly, a change that comes in the wake of an alarming number of fatalities this season.
A statement from provincial health officer Dr. Bonne Henry issued Thursday marks the first formal acknowledgment by the province's top doctor that six children and youth have died in the province, something CTV News first reported Tuesday. In a typical flu season, there are five or six deaths in the entire country.
"This is an unusual season with unusual characteristics, including an early and intense surge in cases. With this unusual pattern, enhanced surveillance has been implemented that includes reporting of pediatric influenza-related deaths to public health officials," Henry wrote.
"As the information is confirmed, updates on pediatric influenza-related deaths will be posted weekly as part of the respiratory surveillance summaries on the (B.C. Centre for Disease Control) website."
Henry also provided the general ages of the six kids, saying one was younger than five, three were between five and nine, and two were between 15 and 19. She also said that while the deaths are still being investigated, some of the children and youth contracted bacterial infections, which can be a complication of the flu.
"Death associated with influenza in previously healthy children is a tragic, but rare event and is especially rare in school-age children and teens," she continued.
"While children typically have the highest respiratory virus infection rates, most children with influenza and other respiratory viruses typically recover safely at home without the need for medical intervention."
However, she also said there are kids who are at a higher risk than others, including infants and toddlers, those with chronic conditions, those that are "very obese" and those that have taken Aspirin or ASA (acetylsalicylic acid) for "long periods of time."
Parents and caregivers of those children, Henry added, should ask a doctor about Tamiflu, an anti-viral medication which can be helpful if taken within 12 to 48 hours of the onset of symptoms.
Henry's statement re-iterated health officials' advice to get all kids over six months old vaccinated, to stay home when sick, to wash hands frequently and to wear a mask "when appropriate."
Clinics across the Lower Mainland are opening up walk-in appointments for kids under 12 during a so-called "blitz."
Information about where children can get the shot is available here.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Leafs star Auston Matthews finishes season with 69 goals
Auston Matthews won't be joining the NHL's 70-goal club this season.
Trump lawyers say Stormy Daniels refused subpoena outside a Brooklyn bar, papers left 'at her feet'
Donald Trump's legal team says it tried serving Stormy Daniels a subpoena as she arrived for an event at a bar in Brooklyn last month, but the porn actor, who is expected to be a witness at the former president's criminal trial, refused to take it and walked away.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Doug Ford calls on Ontario Speaker to reverse Queen's Park keffiyeh ban
Ontario Premier Doug Ford is calling on Speaker Ted Arnott to reverse a ban on keffiyehs at Queen's Park, describing the move as “needlessly” divisive.
'A living nightmare': Winnipeg woman sentenced following campaign of harassment against man after online date
A Winnipeg woman was sentenced to house arrest after a single date with a man she met online culminated in her harassing him for years, and spurred false allegations which resulted in the innocent man being arrested three times.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.