\u201cTypically what we see in an influenza season is two waves of influenza, because there are two types of influenza,\u201d Hirji said. \u201cInfluenza A usually comes first, and then we usually have a smaller influenza B wave in the early spring, so we\u2019ve largely had that influenza A wave, but that B wave is yet to come.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\nMedical Officer of Health Dr. Mustafa Hirji,, Public Health Sudbury & Districts. Tyler Clarke \/ Sudbury.com
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This year\u2019s spike in influenza is likely due to two key reasons, Hirji said, including an early-season onset and a pre-Christmas peak.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere wasn\u2019t enough time for people to get the vaccine before the flu virus started to circulate, so that meant probably not as many people were vaccinated before the flu hit which meant more people were vulnerable,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
As for the pre-Christmas peak<\/a> in cases, he said, \u201cThat\u2019s right when people are at holiday parties, we have a whole bunch of people meeting and mixing right when the flu virus is getting at its peak, and so that probably meant more flu was spreading out at that time because people were having more social interaction.\u201d<\/p>\n Although some credence might be lent to the fact this year\u2019s vaccine effectiveness was only 40 per cent, Hirji contends that although it\u2019s one of many factors that influence how effective a vaccine, \u201cit\u2019s not a perfect correlation.\u201d<\/p>\n The following influenza season\u2019s vaccinations<\/a> are selected in February, which Hirji said can contribute to some of the mismatch<\/a>, wherein flu strains end up differing from those selected for the annual vaccine.<\/p>\n However, due to the way viruses work, Hirji said the severity of some years\u2019 influenza outbreaks are actually lessened by poorly-matched vaccines.<\/p>\n Further to that point, he said annual vaccine matches range from near zero per cent to around 60 per cent on the high end.<\/p>\n \u201cForty per cent is probably average or above-average, despite that mismatch,\u201d he said, adding that this season\u2019s vaccine \u201cis still pretty good.\u201d<\/p>\n Plus, Okechukwu said, even in cases where vaccines don\u2019t match well, \u201cit\u2019s still effective to reduce the severity of illness, lower the risk of hospitalization and protect those who are most vulnerable, like young people, people who are pregnant and older adults.\u201d<\/p>\n Vaccine hesitancy might also be a contributing factor, Okechukwu, clarifying that Ontario doesn\u2019t maintain a reliable tracking system between all vaccine providers so there\u2019s no hard data to draw from, but that it has been a broader trend.<\/p>\n Public Health Sudbury and Districts\u2019 latest respiratory illness updates cites nine new people in hospital due to respiratory illness, including three with COVID-19, two with influenza and four with RSV (respiratory syncytial virus<\/a>).<\/p>\n