B.C. in the throes of late-season ‘wave of the flu’: BC Centre for Disease Control

The BC Centre for Disease Control (BCCDC) says the province is in the throes of a late-season wave of the flu.

The agency says the majority of the cases involve the influenza A strain, while occurrences of influenza B remain low overall.

The data, which comes from the BCCDC’s weekly flu surveillance reporting, found a 50 per cent jump in flu cases in the most recent three weeks tracked.

View image in full screen

Since October, the agency says the vast majority of flu cases have been influenza A. About 76 per cent of them have been the H1N1 strain, but the BCCDC says in the last week 75 per cent of the cases have been of the H3N2 strain.

READ MORE: Calgary man who nearly died from flu urges others to get immunized

Get weekly health news

Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday.

Sign up for weekly health newsletter Sign Up

By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

It noted five lab-confirmed outbreaks of influenza A in long-term care facilities in the most recent weeks and added that it is too soon to say if the most recent wave has peaked.

The 2018-2019 flu season peaked around the New Year and had seen a steep decline in cases up to the beginning of March.