You might expect that the season of parties and holiday get-togethers would lead to a greater chance of spreading our germs which could very well exacerbate flu rates.  

But, on the contrary, says Dr. Jia Hu, Medical Officer of Health for the Calgary Zone of Alberta Health Services, flu rates have actually seen a decline for about the past month in the Calgary Zone that Airdrie is part of.

"I would say that looking at both Alberta and Calgary, we've been seeing a decline in the number of lab-confirmed cases reported per week over the last month or so.  There wasn't an upwards lift during the holiday season, fortunately."

Although we're hearing that most of Canada is suffering through a tough flu season, Dr. Hu says this year has been milder in Alberta than the last flu season.

"This flu season seems to be milder overall, and in Calgary zone compared to last season, in terms of the number of cases we're seeing.  We're also seeing a different type of flu circulating.  Last year we saw predominantly an H3-N2 type flu and this year is more of an H1-N1 type flu."

Hu explains the difference in the two strains by saying that the H3-N2 strain is often associated with more serious illnesses while the H1-N1 strain is often perceived as a bit milder. 

In the last couple of years, the Calgary Zone has been the hardest hit area of the province for lab-confirmed cases of the flu.  That's the case again this year as, of the 910 Albertans who've been admitted to hospital with flu, 437 have been in the Calgary Zone.  The Edmonton Zone is in second place with 232 patients admitted.  Hu says we shouldn't be thinking that the flu has something against the Calgary Zone because he says it's a matter of population.

"If you look at the data by the end of the year last year, the number of flu cases that Calgary has is roughly proportional to the population that it has.  We are the largest zone by population and we tend to get 30 percent more cases than they do, which is roughly in line with the number of cases we receive.  This year we did see quite an early wave of flu in Calgary but that tends to even out by the end of the season.  Usually, by the end of the season, things tend to even out."

Dr. Hu still advises anyone who hasn't been immunized to do so because there's lots of flu season left.

"Every year we immunize roughly 30 percent of Albertans and we'd like to see that number closer to 100 percent frankly.  There's still time for people to get immunized.  For sure it would be great to see higher numbers 'cause we know that the flu shot is one of the best ways of protecting yourself."

This year in Alberta 1,185,890 doses of the influenza vaccine has been administered.  502,339 of those have been in the Calgary Zone.  There have been 910 Albertans admitted to hospital with lab-confirmed cases.  437 have been in the Calgary Zone.  Last flu season a total of 3,047 people went to hospital with the flu, 1,120 in the Calgary Zone.  Thus far 17 Albertans have died with lab-confirmed flu cases, 7 of them in the Calgary Zone.  92 Albertans died last year and 32 of them were in the Calgary Zone.  

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