As of December 29th, there had been 6 deaths connected to the flu in Saskatchewan, and 14 people were admitted into intensive care. The Saskatchewan Health Authority reports that the total lab-confirmed cases of the flu since the beginning of September are 1723. Last year at the same time there had only been 2 deaths and 685 lab-confirmed cases of influenza. The two main strains infecting people are H3N2, and H1N1. H1-N1 is the viral type that caused the pandemic in 2009-2010. Chief Medical Health Officer Dr. Saqib Shahab says if people are sick with the flu, they need to stay home. Three of the deaths this year were unvaccinated children under the age of five. The provincial health authority says only one in three toddlers in Saskatchewan have the flu vaccine and hospitalization rates for flu this season are highest for children under age 9. Dr. Shahab says children under the age of six months will need to see a medical professional for treatment, as they cannot receive the normal influenza vaccine.
Three Unvaccinated Children Die From Flu
By Saskatoon Media Group
Jan 9, 2019 | 4:40 PM