Frostbite diagnoses, amputations spike in Winnipeg

Frostbite numbers spike in Winnipeg The number of frostbite cases and amputations in Winnipeg spiked over the past year.

Winnipeg has seen a sharp increase in the number of people admitted to the hospital with frostbite in the last year.

According to numbers from Shared Health, 90 people were diagnosed with frostbite in the 2021/22 winter season, with 19 of these cases requiring amputation.

This is a distinct increase from the previous winter, when there was 43 frostbite cases and five amputations.

Shared Health’s numbers show that between the 2011/12 and the 2020/21 winters, the highest amount of frostbite cases was in 2017/18 when there were 48 cases and 11 amputations. The least amount of cases was in 2011/12 when there were 15 cases.

Shared Health said there are a number of reasons for the spike in frostbite cases last year, adding that severe weather is one of the factors. It noted that severe weather disproportionately affects vulnerable populations.