It's hard to predict the type of influenza season Ontario will have this year, says an official

A public health official said it was hard to say what kind of flu season would come into Ontario this year, but she recommended everyone to get the flu shot.

"We know that last year was pretty bad, we had two strains that were circulating at the same time and it's quite unusual," said Dr. Bryna Warshawsky, Medical Director of Communicable Diseases, of the preparation emergency situations and the response to Public Health Ontario. said Tuesday.

Warshawsky told CBC Radio Metro Morning that officials are turning to the southern hemisphere to get an idea of ​​the impending severity of the influenza season – but what happens there may not always be a clear predictor.

She explained that while the season was good, it made sense for Toronto residents to get vaccinated to prevent illness and not spread to others. According to Warshawsky, flu can lead to complications for older and younger people or those with pre-existing health problems.

"It's really the only vaccine we have to get you every year, and I think being motivated every year to do this could be a challenge," she said. "But I think it's really important that people get the flu shot every year because that can get us bedridden for a few days."

People who get the flu can get sick from a few days to 10 days, according to Toronto Public Health.

Symptoms include high fever, chills, sore throat, cough and muscle aches. People who suffer from it can also have headaches, lose their appetite and feel extremely tired.

New high-dose vaccine available for the elderly

"You can be sick for several days and it is not a pleasant illness.You can certainly miss school and work, but you can also pbad the infection on to others. We see people dying of flu every year, "said Warshawsky. I said.

On Friday, Public Health Toronto opened free flu clinics in four locations.

The clinics will be open until November 24th.

Toronto Public Health said the influenza vaccine was also available in doctors' offices and more than 400 pharmacies in the city.

This year, a new high-dose vaccine specifically for people 65 years and older, said Public Health Toronto. The vaccine is only available to seniors in doctors' offices, long-term care homes, retirement homes and public health clinics.

Warshawsky said Metro Morning that those vaccinated last year were three times less likely to get the flu than those who had not been vaccinated.

In general, however, she stated that the influenza vaccine effectiveness rate is about 50%, which means that people vaccinated are half as likely to get the flu than those who do not. 39 have not been.

According to Statistics Canada, only about one-third of Canadians were vaccinated against the flu in 2015-16.

The most common influenza virus in Canada

According to the latest weekly report on influenza published by Health Canada, influenza A is the most prevalent influenza virus in Canada. Currently, A (H1N1) pdm09 appears to be the most common "circulating subtype".

According to Toronto Public Health, influenza can aggravate existing health problems such as asthma and heart disease, escalate into serious health problems such as pneumonia and, in rare cases, be fatal.

People at higher risk of developing complications are people with chronic diseases, nursing home residents, children from six months to five years old and healthy pregnant women.

A Canadian study conducted in 2018 found that people who run after the flu are six times more likely to have a heart attack and that the risk may be higher for people 65 years and older.

According to the Ontario government, during the last influenza season, more than 8,900 hospitalizations were due to influenza and 619 people died.