Anita Khan | Contributor
Featured image: Feeling under the weather? Stay home, stay safe, and get your shot. | Courtesy of Steve Bussinne
The flu and the common cold affect thousands of Torontonians each year. In 2017, approximately 15,500 people in Ontario caught the flu; the highest amount since 2009.
Flu season, which usually hits mid-January, had already peaked in October, with hospitals overwhelmed by the number of cases. Dr. Benjamin Fuller, Chief of Emergency and Critical Care at Lakeridge Health in Oshawa, said: “It’s overwhelming the emergency department with staff having to work 14- to 16-hour days.”
Many people treat the flu as a non-fatal illness that eventually goes away. However, what many do not realize is that the flu killed 54 people in Ontario last year. The elderly and infants are the most at risk for flu-related complications like pneumonia, which can become fatal.
The flu spread in 2017 was quite detrimental, due to the fact that it was the A(H3N2) strain (a strain of the H3N2 virus), a much more severe strain, carrying much stronger symptoms and holding a higher risk of hospitalization. The majority of influenza cases are A(H3N2), although the proportion of detections that are strain B has been increasing steadily.
Even though the flu shot is 50 to 60 per cent effective against this strain, in the time it takes to distribute the vaccine, the virus can begin to mutate.
The common cold, on the other hand, is less severe and rarely fatal.
The difference between the cold and the flu lie in the length and severity of the illnesses. A cold doesn’t last for more than a week, and has symptoms such as a runny nose, cough, sore throat, and occasional aches and pains. Fevers don’t usually accompany colds.
The flu, however, can last longer than a week—often, a sign that antibiotics may be a necessary treatment—and may also be accompanied by more severe symptoms such as a fever, chills, and vomiting. A sore throat is another standard symptom of the flu, which usually appears one to four days after the individual contracts the virus—exactly the time when it’s the most contagious.
Emergency rooms across Ontario are filling up fast with people reporting flu-like symptoms, and many locations such as daycares and nursing homes are on watch. Overall, influenza activity in Canada is high and is only expected to increase.
Most indicators of influenza activity have increased already, and are in the higher range of expected levels for this time of year.
Places such as York can be an excellent breeding ground for the viruses and bacteria that cause colds and the flu. With over 50,000 students, there are hundreds of students crammed together in lecture halls, cafeterias, and the addition of the subway, which can lead to higher chances of contracting the virus.
Out of the twelve York students asked, only two had gotten the flu shot. Upon asking why the remaining 10 had not, two responded by saying that “I wanted to, but just couldn’t find the time,” including Kathleen Wilneckwicz, a fourth-year Kinesiology student. The other eight students did not believe in the effectiveness of the flu shot.
While the flu shot is not always a guarantee, it is still the best chance for protecting oneself from the flu. Out of the 12 students surveyed, 11 had gotten the flu in 2017—the only student who hadn’t, Rosie Sangeria, a fourth-year Kinesiology student, was one of the two students who had received the flu shot. “I got the flu shot in September of 2017, and I’m pretty glad I did, because I always get sick. But this year I didn’t, so I’m happy.”
The best ways to avoid the flu are getting the flu vaccine, washing your hands before eating, avoiding touching your face (especially any openings, such as your mouth or nose), covering your mouth when you cough or sneeze, staying home if you do have symptoms and take care of yourself, and using sanitizer after touching surfaces that could be laced with germs, such as the poles on buses.
