The British Columbia Center for Disease Control said Thursday it had documented no new flu-related deaths among children and youth in the past week.
The statement, contained in a weekly ‘respiratory epidemiological summary’, comes following provincial health officer Dr Bonnie Henry promised weekly updates on deaths in children and young people.
The pledge followed revelations that four children and two teenagers had died of flu-related illness. Some of the deaths are believed to have been caused by secondary bacterial infections, a possible complication of the flu.
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“Children are dying”: British Columbia doctor denounces deaths linked to respiratory diseases
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“Children are dying”: British Columbia doctor denounces deaths linked to respiratory diseases
Thursday’s report says that for the week ending Dec. 10, influenza A was the most detected virus in British Columbia, yielding positive results in 20% of tests.
The report also notes that RSV (respiratory syncytial virus) continues to circulate at higher rates than in a typical year, currently showing up in regarding 9% of tests, compared to a historical average of regarding 5%.
Among children tested in Vancouver labs, including BC Children’s Hospital, North Shore and Richmond, influenza A and RSV both remain common and, despite declines over the past two weeks, are still occurring in approximately 28% of tests.
“Influenza positivity and growth rate have been higher this season compared to the five-year pre-pandemic historical average (2014/15-2018/19),” the report said.
“In contrast, the growth rate and test positivity over the past week for RSV are comparable to historical ranges. SARS-CoV-2 positivity in children remains low (~4%). »
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BC’s flu vaccination rate for children increases slightly following weekend blitz, but most still not immune
Visits to healthcare professionals for respiratory illnesses have finally begun to “stabilize at high levels” following rising steadily since September, the report said.
However, children continue to represent a disproportionate number of these visits.
In response to the deadly flu season, the province held what it called a vaccination “blitz” last weekend that saw the share of children vaccinated increase slightly.
However, as of December 12, nearly three-quarters of children aged six months to four years were unvaccinated.