Flu season hits Waterloo region hard

If you've been feeling feverish, grabbing tissues for your runny nose and battling a terrible cough, you're not alone the flu season is in full swing in Waterloo region.

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There has been an increase in flu activity in recent weeks, which is "completely expected," said Kristy Wright, the manager of infectious disease, tuberculosis control and emergency preparedness with Region of Waterloo Public Health.

So far this season, there have been about 43 cases of the flu 31 of influenza A and 12 of influenza B. There were 11 new cases in the last week.

• Region of Waterloo Influenza Surveillance Bulletin

As of Dec. 31, 2016, there had been seven confirmed cases of influenza A in Waterloo region.

In Ontario in previous yearsthe flu has tended to peak over the holidays, except in 2015-2016 when it extended by several weeks and peaked in February and March.

"We usually do see an increase around the holiday season," Wright said in an interview, but added it's too soon to tell if we've reached peak flu season in the region.

"The next few weeks should be telling."

'Better safe than sorry'

It's not too late to get a flu shot if you haven't already, Wright said. The vaccine takes two weeks to reach maximum effectiveness, but it does provide some protection within the first two weeks.

There have been reports the flu shot won't guard against particularly nasty strains that made hundreds ill in Australia in 2017, but Wright said it's still unclear if the flu shot is a bad match in Canada.

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"Locally, we don't have any evidence to suggest that at this point it's not a good match with the circulating strains of flu; however, it is possible that we still may get evidence," she said.

Wright recommended going to get the shot if you haven't yet.

"We really don't have a good sense of flu vaccine effectiveness really until the season's over, so I would say, better safe than sorry," she said.

"Even in seasons where we have a poor match to the vaccine, we do see definitely still some protection, particularly around decreasing complications and hospitalizations and deaths."

Better vaccine for seniors

There is a new vaccine for seniors that appears to work better than others, although it is not covered by the province.

"Seniors don't react as well to normal flu vaccine as you and I may," Wright said.

Vivian Youssef, the pharmacist at Belgage Pharmacy in Kitchener, said Fluzone High Dose is a more concentrated vaccine that is 24 per cent more effective than the regular flu shot for people 65 years old and older.

It requires a prescription and is not covered by the provincial drug plan. It can cost between $90 to $100 per dose, but many drug insurance plans cover it. She hopesthe province will pay the cost of this particular vaccine next flu season.

Youssef said they have been kept busy with people getting their flu shots this year, although it has slowed down.

"I think people are making sure they did get their flu shot this year," she said.