The recent off-season increase in influenza A and other respiratory viruses in Nova Scotia may be linked to the removal of COVID-19 measures as a disguise, doctors say.
In the first week of June, 36 cases of influenza A were identified – the most for any week so far this year. Another jump of 32 cases was reached in early May.
Both peaks fall outside the normal flu season in the province, which is most intense from about December to April. There are usually fewer than five cases of influenza A or B identified each year in early June, and often none.
Reports published by the province also show a steady increase in emergency room visits due to flu-like illnesses since mid-May, a trend that continues into June.
Dr. Katrina Hurley, a doctor and head of the emergency department at the IWK Health Center, says about 10 percent of children who come to the emergency room are positively screened for flu-like illnesses other than COVID-19 – much more -higher than usual figures of one to two percent for this time of year.
“June is usually the time when things turn around – we see, you know, kids fall off their bikes, but they usually don’t have trouble breathing,” she said. “We’re in a hurry, as if it’s the peak flu season right now, and that’s not normal.”
Nova Scotia has seen off-season jumps in influenza A in recent weeks (Nova Scotia’s Department of Health and Wellness)
Hurley said various viruses other than COVID-19 have been identified, including influenza A, rhinovirus, human metapneumovirus, enterovirus and parainfluenza.
Removing mandatory camouflage is likely to contribute to the increase, Hurley said.
“The disguise not only protected us from COVID, it protected children from essentially everything. So, now that the masks have been removed and things are circulating, you have this whole group of children under the age of two, two and a half who have not been exposed to any of these diseases before, “she said.
“The number of children I see at the moment who attend kindergarten and say they just get sick after illness after illness is the story I hear. I spent two years without being diagnosed with an ear infection and now I see them on almost every shift. So all the things that used to harass children and were a normal part of childhood are gone, and now they’re back. “
The requirement for camouflage in schools in Nova Scotia was removed on May 24. (Jon Cherry / Getty Images)
Dr. Tanya Munro, an emergency room physician at Colchester East Hants Health Center, also believes the shift to optional disguise, especially in schools, is a likely culprit in increasing respiratory virus circulation.
“When you look at the schools where they’ve been sticking to the mask mandate for longer than the general public, which was a good idea, now that that’s out of the question, it’s a pretty good Petri dish for spreading a lot of viruses. “
Munro said the apparent increase in confirmed cases of a respiratory virus other than COVID-19 may be due to increased testing for them.
She said that before COVID, if a patient went to the emergency department with a cough, cold, runny nose, fever or muscle aches and pains, he would probably only get a swab if he was in a high-risk population, such as a long-term resident or hospital admission.
Now, as tampons are taken from patients in the emergency department to rule out COVID-19, these tampons are also being treated for influenza A, B and respiratory syncytial virus.
“So we’re finding cases because we’re looking in a way we wouldn’t have done historically,” Munro said.
Reducing the effectiveness of influenza vaccines may be partly to blame for the jump in influenza A at the end of the season, said Dr. Shelley Deeks, deputy chief medical officer of Nova Scotia. (David Greedy / Getty Images)
Munro also wondered if taking flu shots had slowed this season, leading to more flu. The Department of Health and Wellness has failed to provide statistics on how many Nova Scotians have received their flu vaccines this year.
Dr Shelley Deeks, Nova Scotia’s deputy chief medical officer, agreed that lifting restrictions on COVID-19 could lead to the transmission of other viruses.
She said the jump in influenza A in the late season could also be caused by the declining effectiveness of influenza vaccines, many of which were delivered last autumn, and the limited effectiveness of the vaccine against what turned out to be the dominant strain of the virus.
Nova Scotia is far from alone in cases of increasing influenza outside the normal season. Deeks said the trend is set across the country, but national figures seem to have peaked a few weeks ago.
“We are in unfamiliar territory”
Munro is somewhat optimistic that the circulation of respiratory viruses will decrease with the onset of summer as people spend more time outdoors.
Hurley is a little more hesitant.
“I would not use the word that I am optimistic,” she said. “I hope this will change and we will have some time to rest in the summer before it starts again when the children return to school.
“But I have a feeling that what the graphs and data show me is that we can’t predict what will happen. I think we’re in unknown territory.”
The IWK’s emergency department currently has about 40 percent more patients than usual at this time of year, so Hurley called on people to be understanding if they face longer waits than normal.
“We want to provide them with good care and we do our best with the resources we have.”
Add Comment