This year’s flu season is Quebec’s worst in 10 years: INSPQ

Quebec is having one of its worst cases of the flu in a decade, according to data released from the province’s public health institute.

Infectious diseases specialist Dr. Donald Vinh said we have not yet reached the peak of the outbreak in the province.

“We are not near the peak. We don’t even know when the peak is coming, but when it does come, there will be a large number of people who are sick,” Vinh told CTV News on Tuesday.

Between Feb. 2 and 8, the Institut national de sante publique du Quebec (INSPQ)

reported 4,653 cases of Influenza A and B, which is the worst week of the flu season so far. Last year’s worst week was almost half of that, with 2,471 cases.

But that doesn’t reflect the number of people who are infected with the virus right now, according to Vinh, since many who are sick don’t get tested.

“One of the reasons why we’re seeing so many people sick, it’s not really a property of the virus as much as it’s the low vaccination rates,” he said.

That means people are getting sicker when they do get infected, and are ending up in the emergency rooms, according to pediatric infectious disease specialist Dr. Jesse Papenburg, who works at Montreal Children’s Hospital.

“We know that the extremes of age are particularly susceptible to having a more serious influenza infection. So, young children under five, but especially those under two years of age, as well as our elderly population, 65 and over, but especially those 75 plus, are at higher risk of influenza hospitalization,” he said.

Both Papenburg and Vinh are urging people to get their flu shot, saying it’s not too late and it’s free of charge.

Pharmacist Fady Kamel, who runs the Proxim pharmacy in Dollard-des-Ormeux, said he hasn’t seen a flu season like this one in a long time.

“We’re getting a lot of calls, a lot of those calling are very anxious because their spouse or partner is getting very, very sick, and they don’t know what to do,” he said.

Typical flu symptoms include fever, cough, muscular pain, extreme fatigue and headaches.

While there are no quick fixes for flu, he said there are plenty of over-the-counter remedies to help with some of the symptoms, but you should always check with your pharmacist to ensure the ingredients don’t counteract other medications.