WINNIPEG — There has been a spike in flu activity across Manitoba and H1N1 is the dominant strain, according to Manitoba Health.
In the last week of February, Manitoba Health said 21 people were hospitalized due to the flu, seven required intensive care and two died.
In both cases, the deceased was under the age of 65, but the province has not said where in Manitoba they lived. Both had the H1N1 strain.
According to Manitoba Chief Medical Officer Dr. Michael Routledge, we’re in the “peak” of flu season, and the numbers are nothing to panic over.
“The numbers are consistent with other flu seasons. Last year’s flu numbers were much higher,” he said
Eleven people in the province died from H1N1 in the 2009 pandemic, but Routledge said the virus has been part of a vaccine for years now and there is a much higher level immunity among Manitobans than when it first appeared.
He said the flu “wave” we’re in is expected to last another three to four weeks.
With files from CJOB
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