Guelph health officials bracing for nasty flu season

Despite having received no reports of flu cases yet, Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph (WDG) Public Health says they are gearing up for a nasty flu season.

The flu is very unpredictable, however, the flu season in the southern hemisphere has been particularly nasty this year.

Health officials keep a watchful eye over the flu in the Southern Hemisphere, which affects residents during their winter (or our summer). It’s patterns there that lay the groundwork for predicting which viruses may make the rounds in the Northern Hemisphere.

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“We’re bracing ourselves for the worst,” said Rita Sethi, Director of Community Health and Wellness for WDG Public Health. “(We’re) prepared for anything it might throw at us, but who knows?”

She said there have been years when the flu season was bad in the Southern Hemisphere, but not as bad in Canada.

Flu shots are already publicly available and vaccination clinics in Guelph will start during the first week of November.

But there is a concern that only 30 to 35 per cent of the population in the region are getting a flu shot.

“The impact of the flu has so many consequences on our society,” Sethi said, while mentioning that the flu can be fatal. “There are severe consequences of influenza for those people more at risk.”

Sethi said everyone should get a flu shot and not just to protect themselves.

“By getting the flu shot you have the ability to protect those in a high-risk category,” she said.

High-risk categories include women who are pregnant, children under the age of five, those with health conditions, and anyone with suppressed immune systems.

Flu symptoms include fever, cough, shortness of breath, muscle aches, fatigue, severe headache, sore throat, and lack of appetite.

Although most people recover in five to seven days, some people will have severe illness. If your symptoms do not improve, call your doctor.