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The mother of a young Calgary cancer patient is reminding Albertans the flu season is not over yet, and she’s calling on people to consider the vulnerable when they’re weighing vaccination this fall.<\/p>\n
After a steep drop-off early in the year, Alberta saw a resurgence of influenza through February and most of March, driven by influenza B, which often arrives later in the season.<\/p>\n
“It’s been a rocky last week and a half,\u201d said Erin Nicholls, whose four-year-old son, Arthur, was diagnosed with leukemia two years ago.<\/p>\n
Because he\u2019s still going through treatment, his immune system is suppressed and he\u2019s at higher risk for severe illness.\u00a0<\/p>\n
When he came down with a fever and tested positive for influenza B a week and a half ago, Nicholls was worried.<\/p>\n
“Every noise he makes \u2014 if he breathes the wrong way, if we hear an extra cough in the night \u2014you’re definitely going to the worst case scenario,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Arthur has been to the emergency room twice since he came down with the flu. He ended up developing what doctors believe is a secondary infection.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have rotated through the oncology unit in my training and I\u2019ve seen children like him close to dying from sepsis,” said Nicholls, who is a family physician. “And there\u2019s always that thought in my mind, like, what if he takes a turn for the worse?\u201d<\/p>\n
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Arthur, pictured outside of Alberta Children’s Hospital, is expected to finish his cancer treatment in June. (Erin Nicholls)<\/p>\n
She’s also concerned additional trips to the emergency room increase his risk of catching other infections such as measles. <\/p>\n
And she cautioned they also add pressure to hospitals, which are already under strain.<\/p>\n
Arthur’s leukemia treatment is working and is expected to be finished in June.<\/p>\n
Protect people like Arthur, mom urges<\/p>\n
The entire family was vaccinated against the flu in the fall.<\/p>\n
But Nicholls said Arthur likely didn\u2019t mount a strong enough response to the vaccine due to the immune-suppressing chemotherapy treatment.<\/p>\n
She\u2019s urging all Albertans to roll up their sleeves for the shot in the fall before the next flu season hits. She hopes “people will be a little bit more willing to take that extra step to protect both themselves and vulnerable members of the community, which can include people like Arthur.”<\/p>\n
Nicholls is also calling on the province to increase access to the flu shot for next season, noting she’s heard from parents who struggled to make appointments for their kids last fall and gave up as a result.<\/p>\n
‘Not just protecting myself but protecting my community’<\/p>\n
According to Edmonton-based pediatrician Dr. Sam Wong, anyone who is immunosuppressed is at a higher risk of severe illness due to both influenza A and B.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re more likely to be hospitalized. They\u2019re more likely to end up in ICU,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
In addition, younger children and the elderly are considered at higher risk.\u00a0He strongly recommends those groups get vaccinated along with their close contacts. <\/p>\n
Ideally, he\u2019d like to see everyone take Nicholls’ advice and get the shot.<\/p>\n
\u201cGetting the flu vaccine, depending on the match, may reduce infectivity and reduce the risk of that person catching it when they\u2019re out and about,\u201d said Wong, the president of the Alberta Medical Association\u2019s section of pediatrics.<\/p>\n
“It’s a nice way of looking at vaccination that it’s not just protecting myself but protecting my community. And I think that that is sometimes forgotten now, unfortunately.”<\/p>\n
Slight dip in cases after weeks climbing<\/p>\n