One person has died from the flu this season, Manitoba Health has confirmed, but the families of two other young people say their deaths were due to complications arising from the infectious virus.
Blaine Ruppenthal, a Grade 12 student at Kelvin High School in Winnipeg, died Monday after suffering medical complications, according to a family member.
Joanne Ens, 24, from Morden, Man., died Jan. 6 after battling the flu since New Year’s Day. She contracted a bacterial infection that she was unable to recover from, her family said. She suffered from asthma as well.
Manitobans might be concerned following the news of these deaths. Here’s what health-care experts have to say about influenza.
How many people die every year in Manitoba from flu-related complications?
So far this flu season, the province has confirmed one influenza-related death, but Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief public health officer, said there’s sometimes a delay in receiving reports of deaths and sharing them with the public.
The timing and intensity of the flu during any given season — defined as the period between November and May — can vary, a spokesperson for the province said in an email to CBC News.
There were 18 flu-related deaths reported during the 2018-19 flu season, but the number varies considerably year to year, according to figures from the province:
2013-14: 9
2014-15: 48
2015-16: 22
2016-17: 12
2017-18: 46
“We do see severe outcomes every year with the flu, unfortunately, and this year will be no exception,” Roussin said.
There are cases of young people becoming ill and having severe symptoms, but it’s not very common, he said.
What are common flu symptoms and how should they be treated?
Most people with the flu have a fever, cough and muscle aches and pains within the first one to four days after being exposed to the virus, Health Canada says.
Health authorities recommend you stay home when you get sick and avoid close contact with other people until you’re well enough to get back to your regular day-to-day activities.
People infected with the flu virus can spread it to other people until approximately five days after they first show symptoms.
Doctors attribute Blaine Ruppenthal’s death to complications from influenza. The 17-year-old died after suffering cardiac arrest twice and being rushed to hospital, where he was put into an induced coma and received hypothermic therapy. 3:05
Rest, fluids and medication to reduce fever or aches can be used to treat symptoms.
Sometimes flu symptoms can be more serious and require medical attention.
When should you go to the hospital?
Health Canada says people with the flu should go to the hospital immediately if they develop any of these serious symptoms:
Shortness of breath, rapid breathing or difficulty breathing.
Chest pain.
Bluish or grey skin.
Bloody mucus or spit.
Sudden dizziness or confusion.
Severe or persistent vomiting.
High fever lasting more than three days.
Low blood pressure.
The flu can sometimes lead to pneumonia, respiratory failure, worsening of chronic health conditions and even death.
Should Manitobans be worried?
People living in the province should be alert to the impacts of the flu, Roussin said.
“I think that the message is that the flu is concerning every year and so we unfortunately see severe outcomes every year.”
Flu seasons are becoming longer, he said.
Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief public health officer, says it’s not uncommon for healthy young people to suffer complications from influenza. (Submitted by the province of Manitoba)
“It’s usually [influenza] A that we see circulating, but B can cause significant illness,” Roussin said, particularly in those under 15.
People with serious diseases, those over 65, people who live in nursing homes or long-term care facilities, children under five and pregnant women are at high risk of complications from the flu, the federal government says.
What’s the best thing Manitobans can do to protect themselves from the flu?
The flu shot is No. 1, Roussin said.
“We always try to get the message out about the flu vaccine that the flu vaccine is safe, and it’s the best way to protect yourself and others from the flu.”
Health-care professionals recommend the flu vaccine for everyone over six months. (Kate Adach/CBC)
It’s not too late to get the flu vaccine, although it’s ideal to get it before the flu season is in full swing, he said.
“We’re still encouraging Manitobans to get that flu shot. It’s safe and that’s the best way to protect yourself and others from the flu and these serious complications.”
Health Canada recommends everyone over six months get the vaccine. It’s especially important for people who are at high risk for complications and for those who are in close proximity to those at high risk.
VANCOUVER – Mayors and other leaders from several British Columbia communities say the provincial and federal governments need to take “immediate action” to tackle mental health and public safety issues that have reached crisis levels.
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim says it’s become “abundantly clear” that mental health and addiction issues and public safety have caused crises that are “gripping” Vancouver, and he and other politicians, First Nations leaders and law enforcement officials are pleading for federal and provincial help.
In a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier David Eby, mayors say there are “three critical fronts” that require action including “mandatory care” for people with severe mental health and addiction issues.
The letter says senior governments also need to bring in “meaningful bail reform” for repeat offenders, and the federal government must improve policing at Metro Vancouver ports to stop illicit drugs from coming in and stolen vehicles from being exported.
Sim says the “current system” has failed British Columbians, and the number of people dealing with severe mental health and addiction issues due to lack of proper care has “reached a critical point.”
Vancouver Police Chief Adam Palmer says repeat violent offenders are too often released on bail due to a “revolving door of justice,” and a new approach is needed to deal with mentally ill people who “pose a serious and immediate danger to themselves and others.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 16, 2024
The Canadian government says it will donate up to 200,000 vaccine doses to fight the mpox outbreak in Congo and other African countries.
It says the donated doses of Imvamune will come from Canada’s existing supply and will not affect the country’s preparedness for mpox cases in this country.
Minister of Health Mark Holland says the donation “will help to protect those in the most affected regions of Africa and will help prevent further spread of the virus.”
Dr. Madhukar Pai, Canada research chair in epidemiology and global health, says although the donation is welcome, it is a very small portion of the estimated 10 million vaccine doses needed to control the outbreak.
Vaccine donations from wealthier countries have only recently started arriving in Africa, almost a month after the World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
A few days after the declaration in August, Global Affairs Canada announced a contribution of $1 million for mpox surveillance, diagnostic tools, research and community awareness in Africa.
On Thursday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said mpox is still on the rise and that testing rates are “insufficient” across the continent.
Jason Kindrachuk, Canada research chair in emerging viruses at the University of Manitoba, said donating vaccines, in addition to supporting surveillance and diagnostic tests, is “massively important.”
But Kindrachuk, who has worked on the ground in Congo during the epidemic, also said that the international response to the mpox outbreak is “better late than never (but) better never late.”
“It would have been fantastic for us globally to not be in this position by having provided doses a much, much longer time prior than when we are,” he said, noting that the outbreak of clade I mpox in Congo started in early 2023.
Clade II mpox, endemic in regions of West Africa, came to the world’s attention even earlier — in 2022 — as that strain of virus spread to other countries, including Canada.
Two doses are recommended for mpox vaccination, so the donation may only benefit 100,000 people, Pai said.
Pai questioned whether Canada is contributing enough, as the federal government hasn’t said what percentage of its mpox vaccine stockpile it is donating.
“Small donations are simply not going to help end this crisis. We need to show greater solidarity and support,” he said in an email.
“That is the biggest lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic — our collective safety is tied with that of other nations.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.
The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.
Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.
“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”
The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.
A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.
Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.
“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.
Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.
The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.
“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
