It appears the flu season now passing its peak will be one of the nastiest in recent times. According to the sa国际传媒 Centre for Disease Control, doctors across the province are reporting case loads significantly above the historical average. Children and the elderly are being particularly hard hit.
Last week, a third of all emergency visits to the sa国际传媒 Children鈥檚 Hospital in Vancouver were flu-related. And long-term care homes, including some in the capital region, are experiencing record-level outbreaks of the disease.
For reasons that are unclear, sa国际传媒 is faring worse than the rest of the country. Our per capita rates for type A flu (the most common variety) are 40 per cent above the national average. Nevertheless, this is a global problem, with numerous countries struggling to cope.
Part of the problem is that this year鈥檚 vaccine is less effective than usual. On prior occasions, people who got a flu shot often enjoyed a 60 per cent protection rate. This time, the success rate is closer to 23 per cent.
To be fair, those figures don鈥檛 tell the whole story. Even if you get the disease after having a shot, the chances are good your symptoms will be less severe. That could mean the difference between a few days in bed and a hospital visit.
Unfortunately, there鈥檚 no way to avoid these wide swings in performance. It takes time to stockpile enough vaccine for the winter flu season. That means manufacturers have to guess, months in advance, which strain of the disease will emerge.
But every year brings new mutations. Australia sometimes provides a sneak preview because its winter corresponds to our summer.
Even so, it鈥檚 still a guessing game, and this year, unfortunately, the experts guessed wrong. That has led some to question whether such a large-scale vaccination program, conducted on an annual basis, is worth the time and money.
Yet viewed over the long haul, flu shots have proved their value. Nationwide mortality rates have fallen dramatically over the last century.
In the 1920s, the disease caused 44 deaths per 100,000 Canadians each year. Today, flu results in just one fatality per 100,000.
While vaccination accounts for only some of that reduction, it certainly played a part. And with an aging population to care for, it would be unwise to let our guard down.
However, there are also some everyday measures we can take to stay healthy. About 80 per cent of infectious diseases, flu included, are transmitted by touch. Frequent hand-washing is an effective way of keeping viruses at bay.
Alcohol-based rubs are also helpful, so long as the alcohol content is at least 60 per cent.
Most public-health experts recommend staying home for several days if flu-like symptoms emerge, such as headaches, coughing and muscle pain. Taking your disease to work does no one a favour.
Easily said, of course. Some employers are more generous than others when it comes to granting sick leave. But where at all possible, stay away from crowded locations such as malls and grocery stores if you鈥檙e feeling under the weather.
For the elderly or people with chronic respiratory ailments such as asthma, some physicians prescribe anti-viral medications such as Tamiflu. These drugs aren鈥檛 a perfect solution.
They reduce the severity of the disease rather than curing it, and usually they have to be taken within 12 to 24 hours of symptoms emerging. Nevertheless, anyone in an at-risk group should talk with a GP at the first sign of trouble.
Perhaps, one day, medical science will rid us of this misery. Until then, flu shots and common sense are all we have.
