flu season could be much worse in que. this year

by: jesse feithafter recording barely any infections last year, public health experts say quebec could see an increase in influenza cases this flu season.thanks in large part to covid-19 measures like masking and physical distancing, in addition to travel restrictions, quebec recorded only a handful of confirmed influenza cases last flu season.but because so few people were exposed to the flu since the beginning of the pandemic, combined with the loosened measures now in effect, the door may be open to a resurgence of influenza cases.“we’re a little bit worried that by there being no influenza last season, it may have created a pool of susceptible individuals that’s bigger than what we usually have,” said gaston de serres, an epidemiologist with the institut national de santé publique du québec (inspq).according to the inspq, between late august and early december of last year, only four cases of influenza were confirmed in quebec. for comparison, during the 2018-2019 flu season, quebec confirmed 18,232 cases.last week, canada’s chief public health officer, dr. theresa tam, said the country might be heading for its first typical flu season since the pandemic began.the increase in cases, tam said, could be “due to lower levels of immunity in the population as a result of less circulation last flu season and the easing of some restrictive, community-based public health measures.”how will that translate to quebec? though this flu season is expected to be worse than last year  —  there were already several cases confirmed last week  —  exactly how much worse it will get is hard to say, experts said.dr. donald vinh, an infectious diseases specialist and medical microbiologist at the mcgill university health centre, said quebec’s flu season can usually be estimated by looking at what’s seen in the southern hemisphere, where the flu strikes earlier in the year.cases there have remained low this year, vinh said, but he also echoed de serres’s concerns about there being a greater proportion of quebecers at risk this year.“some people might have a quote-unquote outdated immune system when it comes to the flu,” vinh said. “if that’s the case, you can imagine there actually is a risk for not only a large number of cases but also people getting more severe flu because they haven’t seen this variant.”the best way to avoid that “worst-case scenario,” vinh added, is through vaccination.quebec’s flu shot program officially kicks off monday, nov. 1, with appointments at local pharmacies already available on the clic-santé website or by calling 1–877–644–4545.quebec recommends the flu vaccine for people age 75 and over, as well as pregnant women in their second and third trimesters.in addition, the province recommends the shots be given to anyone six months and older (including pregnant women, regardless of the stage of their pregnancy) who are living with certain chronic illnesses.family members who live in the same household as a child under six months of age or a person at higher risk of being hospitalized should also get the shot, the government says, as should health-care workers.for residents of long-term care homes and private seniors’ residences, this year’s flu shot is being offered at the same time astheir third covid-19 vaccine dose.jfeith@postmedia.com