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More than 4,600 cases of influenza: we are experiencing the worst flu season in 10 years in Quebec
Heloise Archambault
Tuesday, February 11, 2025 00:00
UPDATE Tuesday, February 11, 2025 00:00
Quebec is on track to experience its worst flu season in 10 years, with more than 4,600 cases recorded in the last week alone.
"We are in the revenge of the flu," analyzes Dr. Donald Vinh, infectious disease specialist-microbiologist at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC).
"It's really intense, there's no doubt about it," confirms Hugues Charest, head of respiratory and enteric viruses at the Laboratoire de santé publique du Québec/INSPQ. "It's the worst season in a long time."
According to the latter, current data show that Quebec is recording the highest influenza season since 2014-2015. One of the key indicators for arriving at this conclusion is the very high positivity rate (32%) in the last week.
From February 2 to 8, 4,310 cases of influenza A were recorded by the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ). In addition, there were 343 cases of the influenza B variant , for a total of 4,653 cases.
That's nearly double what we usually see in the worst weeks of the season. Last year, the worst week of flu recorded 2,471 cases.
If you've been sick recently, chances are you had the flu.
Furthermore, these figures represent only a portion of the cases circulating; the majority of infected people have not consulted a doctor and have therefore not received a diagnosis. For comparison, 848 cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in the last week.
We detect better
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, flu screening has improved and there are more cases. But cases have been skyrocketing over the past month, and hospitals are feeling the strain. Older adults and toddlers are at higher risk of hospitalization for complications.
"It's intense!" notes Dr. Jesse Papenburg, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at the MUHC. "We can feel it on the ground; it's clearly a big flu season."
At the moment, there is no indication that the peak of the season has been reached.
"We are on the rise," adds Dr. Vinh . "It will still be difficult for four or five weeks."
A useful vaccine?
So far, preliminary data has shown that the vaccine is about 60% effective, according to Mr. Charest. Doctors remind us that it is not too late to get vaccinated for free. The B variant virus could strike harder in a few weeks.
Flu cases recorded per week
February 2-8: 4,653 cases
January 26 to February 1 : 3,382 cases
January 19-25: 2016 cases
January 12-18: 1,749 cases
January 5-11: 1,358 cases
December 28 to January 4: 1,310 cases
Source: INSPQ, Influenza A and B
Flu symptoms
Fever
Cough
Muscle pain
Extreme fatigue
Headaches
Source: MSSS
https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2...ans-la-revanche-de-la-grippe---dr-donald-vinh
More than 4,600 cases of influenza: we are experiencing the worst flu season in 10 years in Quebec
Heloise Archambault
Tuesday, February 11, 2025 00:00
UPDATE Tuesday, February 11, 2025 00:00
Quebec is on track to experience its worst flu season in 10 years, with more than 4,600 cases recorded in the last week alone.
"We are in the revenge of the flu," analyzes Dr. Donald Vinh, infectious disease specialist-microbiologist at the McGill University Health Centre (MUHC).
"It's really intense, there's no doubt about it," confirms Hugues Charest, head of respiratory and enteric viruses at the Laboratoire de santé publique du Québec/INSPQ. "It's the worst season in a long time."
According to the latter, current data show that Quebec is recording the highest influenza season since 2014-2015. One of the key indicators for arriving at this conclusion is the very high positivity rate (32%) in the last week.
From February 2 to 8, 4,310 cases of influenza A were recorded by the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ). In addition, there were 343 cases of the influenza B variant , for a total of 4,653 cases.
That's nearly double what we usually see in the worst weeks of the season. Last year, the worst week of flu recorded 2,471 cases.
If you've been sick recently, chances are you had the flu.
Furthermore, these figures represent only a portion of the cases circulating; the majority of infected people have not consulted a doctor and have therefore not received a diagnosis. For comparison, 848 cases of COVID-19 have been recorded in the last week.
We detect better
Since the COVID-19 pandemic, flu screening has improved and there are more cases. But cases have been skyrocketing over the past month, and hospitals are feeling the strain. Older adults and toddlers are at higher risk of hospitalization for complications.
"It's intense!" notes Dr. Jesse Papenburg, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at the MUHC. "We can feel it on the ground; it's clearly a big flu season."
At the moment, there is no indication that the peak of the season has been reached.
"We are on the rise," adds Dr. Vinh . "It will still be difficult for four or five weeks."
A useful vaccine?
So far, preliminary data has shown that the vaccine is about 60% effective, according to Mr. Charest. Doctors remind us that it is not too late to get vaccinated for free. The B variant virus could strike harder in a few weeks.
Flu cases recorded per week
February 2-8: 4,653 cases
January 26 to February 1 : 3,382 cases
January 19-25: 2016 cases
January 12-18: 1,749 cases
January 5-11: 1,358 cases
December 28 to January 4: 1,310 cases
Source: INSPQ, Influenza A and B
Flu symptoms
Fever
Cough
Muscle pain
Extreme fatigue
Headaches
Source: MSSS
https://www.journaldemontreal.com/2...ans-la-revanche-de-la-grippe---dr-donald-vinh