Flu season is still here, mother of Calgary cancer patient diagnosed with influenza B warns

The mother of a young Calgary cancer patient is reminding Albertans that flu season is far from over, and she’s calling on people to consider vulnerable people when they consider getting vaccinated this fall.

After a steep decline early in the year, Alberta saw a resurgence of influenza during February and most of March, driven by influenza B, which often appears later in the season.

“The last week and a half has been very difficult,” said Erin Nichols, whose four-year-old son Arthur was diagnosed with leukemia two years ago.

Because he is still undergoing treatment, his immune system is weakened and he is at higher risk of serious illness.

When he developed a fever a week and a half ago and tested positive for influenza B, Nichols became concerned.

“Whatever noise he makes — if he’s breathing erratically, if we hear extra coughing at night — you’re definitely going to have a worst-case scenario,” she said.

Arthur has been to the emergency room twice since suffering from the flu. Eventually he developed what doctors consider a secondary infection.

“I’ve visited oncology units during my training and I’ve seen kids like her come close to dying from sepsis,” said Nichols, who is a family physician. “And I always have this thought in the back of my mind, like, what if his condition gets worse?”

She’s also worried that additional visits to the emergency room increase her risk of contracting other infections, such as measles.

And he cautioned that they also put pressure on hospitals, which are already under strain.

Arthur’s leukemia treatment is working and is expected to finish in June.

Protect people like Arthur, mother urges

The whole family was vaccinated against the flu in the fall.

But Nichols said Arthur likely didn’t respond strong enough to the vaccine because of immune-suppressing chemotherapy treatments.

She’s urging all Albertans to roll up their sleeves for a shot in the fall before the next flu season starts. He hopes “people will be a little more willing to take extra steps to protect themselves and vulnerable members of the community, which may include people like Arthur.”

Nicholls has also called on the province to expand access to flu shots for next season, saying she has heard from parents who struggled to get appointments for their children last time and gave up as a result.

‘Not just protecting yourself, but protecting your community’

Anyone who has a weakened immune system has a higher risk of serious illness from both influenza A and B, according to Dr. Sam Wong, an Edmonton-based pediatrician.

“They’re more likely to be hospitalized. They’re more likely to go to the ICU,” he said.

Additionally, young children and the elderly are considered to be at greater risk. He strongly recommends that those groups be vaccinated along with their close contacts.

Ideally, he would like everyone to take Nichols’ advice and take the shot.

“Getting a flu vaccine on a consistent basis can reduce infectiousness and reduce the risk of a person contracting it when they’re out and about,” said Wong, chair of the pediatric section of the Alberta Medical Association.

“It’s a good way to look at vaccination as not just protecting me but protecting my community. And I think unfortunately that’s sometimes forgotten now.”

Slight decline in cases after several weeks of rise

Latest Provincial UpdateReleased Tuesday evening, it shows the number of influenza cases and positivity rates have declined slightly after climbing in recent weeks. The province’s current positivity rate is just over 10 per cent.

Dr. James Dickinson, professor emeritus of family medicine at the University of Calgary, said influenza B typically arrives later in the flu season.

He Alberta coordinates the Community Respiratory Surveillance Network, a group of family doctors who screen patients for influenza-like infections. He describes the recent rally as “moderate.”

“Our sentinels are certainly seeing a lot of people coming in with moderately severe respiratory illness,” he said in a recent interview with CBC News.

He is urging sick people to stay home and in a separate room from family members if possible. He also recommends using N95 masks.

Even with the recent surge, the number of cases and hospital admissions remains much lower than the December peak period.

There have been 263 flu deaths in Alberta so far this season, including a child under the age of one.