Keep vaccines up to date as flu season looms, Boileau warns

Keep vaccines up to date as flu season looms, Boileau warns

Ruby Pratka, Local Journalism Initiative reporter

editor@qctonline.com

Quebec public health director Dr. Luc Boileau struck a relatively optimistic note as he delivered a planned update on the progression of common respiratory viruses in Quebec on Jan. 24. “We’ve seen worse in the last few years.”

He presented Santé Québec data showing that test positivity rates for COVID-19 and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) had dipped below 10 per cent for the first time in several weeks. COVID positivity rates, he noted, were at their lowest since early summer. “Things are going in the right direction; there are new variants that have gotten in place, but they are no more threatening than the ones we have seen in the past, and vaccination remains effective.”

Boileau said hospital admissions for RSV, which is most dangerous for elderly and immunocompromised people and newborns, have fallen since the province provided more than 40,000 newborns with an immunotherapy treatment. Seasonal flu positivity rates, however, were on the rise, and that trend was expected to continue. Boileau said health officials expected to see flu circulation peak in early February before tapering off gradually. “Flu is a serious disease, which sends 300 to 400 [Quebecers] to intensive care every year and even causes some deaths; it has an effective means of prevention, which is vaccination.” He said that although efficiency data on this year’s vaccine was not available, he expected it to be as efficient as in previous years.

He noted that certain stomach viruses – noroviruses and rotaviruses, which cause the dreaded gastro – appear to be circulating more than usual. He encouraged people to stay home if they have flu-like symptoms, particularly if they have a fever, and to wear a mask and avoid contact with vulnerable people if they must leave the house, and wash their hands regularly with soap, especially if they have or have recently had gastro.

Measles outbreak confined to Laurentians, Laval

Boileau said there were 13 cases of measles in the province as of Jan. 26, including two new cases in the past week, all linked to an outbreak in the Lauren- tians in early January. Although health officials were still waiting to see if new cases would arise, he said the outbreak appeared not to have spread further than greater Montreal.

Measles is a highly contagious virus that can be especially dangerous for pregnant women and young children. According to Health Canada, Canadians born before 1970 are presumed protected against measles due to prior exposure, and most Canadians born after 1970 were vaccinated against measles in early childhood. Vaccine efficiency is close to 99 per cent. If you were not vaccinated against measles as a child, you can register to receive the vaccine for free on ClicSanté, Boileau said. If you don’t know your vaccination status, he said, it is safe to receive the shot twice.

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