Low flu shot rates among Alberta kids and seniors a worry as influenza rages on

Health experts are concerned Alberta's low flu vaccine uptake, particularly among vulnerable groups, could spell trouble as a harsh influenza season tightens its grip on the province.

Two Alberta children have died of influenza since the start of the flu season. Kids up to the age of 19 account for nearly one-third of flu-related ICU admissions, according to provincial data.

But even as transmission rates rise, just20.5 per cent of Albertans have rolled up their sleeves for the annual flu shot.

Children under the age of five and seniors are two of the groups at highest risk of serious complications due to influenza.

Just 12.7 per cent of children between the ages of six months and four years have their flu shots, and 57 per cent of seniors have their dose. The immunization target for both groups is 80 per cent.

"That's low when you consider the fact that [young children] can be hit pretty hard by influenza in terms of severity and ending up in hospital," said Dr. Cora Constantinescu, a pediatric infectious disease specialist at Alberta Children's Hospital, which is dealing with a wave of respiratory illnesses.

She isworried about vaccine uptakein all pediatric age groups.

"Considering how fast this influenza wave is climbing, I would definitely love to see the uptake in the vaccine rates climb as well. They're pretty low, though, and not enough to feel that our children our being sent to school protected at all."

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According to Constantinescu, children of all agesare ending up seriously ill, and many of them were previously healthy.

"Influenza now is driving our ICU stays and hospitalizations in terms of respiratory viruses," she said.

"We're seeing a variety of ages of kids ending up intubated with influenza, with respiratory failure. We're seeing kids who can have brain effects from influenza. We're also seeing heart effects from influenza. And we also see very often a bacterial infection on top of influenza."

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada's FluWatch report, there has been a "sharp increase" in pediatric hospitalizations in recent weeks.

The report notesweekly pediatric influenza hospitalizations are unusually high for this time of year and have exceeded levels normally seen during the peak of influenza season.

Nationally,children under the age of five and adults 65 and older have the highest cumulative hospitalization rates.

Seniors at risk

According to a Toronto-based geriatrician, Dr. Samir Sinha, it's common for influenza to circulate first among kids.

"It'sonly a matter of weeks before what's happening with children is going to be happening with their parents, and then it's going to be happening with their grandparents," said Sinha, the directorof geriatrics at Mount Sinaiand the University Health Network.

WATCH | Why health officials are urging people to get their flu shots this season:

Low flu shot rates among Alberta kids and seniors a worry as influenza rages on

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Health experts are concerned Alberta's low flu vaccine uptake, particularly among vulnerable groups, could spell trouble as a harsh influenza season tightens its grip on the province. The CBC's Jennifer Lee has more.

"When we see such a high spike in the rates in children, we're just going to anticipate that we're going to see a significant spike happening especially amongst older populations in the coming weeks. And that's why it's really important that people get vaccinated."

Sinhawarned a 57 per cent vaccination rate among Alberta seniors leaves too many people at risk.The bulk of hospitalizations and deaths during a typical flu season occur in this age group, he said.

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"I'm really concerned because we know that when flu season hits Canada, it tends to hit the Prairie provinces first, and we know this flu season is going to be a particularly bad one," he said.

"We're going to see a significant burden of disease in terms of emergency department visits, hospitalizations and deaths occurring in larger than usual numbers."

Nine of Alberta's 12 flu-related deaths have been in adults over the age of 60. One person who died was in their fifties.

Both physicians are calling on Albertans to take key steps including masking, staying home when sick, frequent handwashing and getting their free flu shots.

"Flu is the second leading vaccine-preventable cause of death in Canada. So that's why we really emphasize people getting vaccinated," Sinha said.