By Lara Fominoff @LaraFominoff

Influenza cases in Alberta surpass 2016/2017 numbers

Jan 12, 2018 | 10:46 AM

LETHBRIDGE – With weeks still to go in the 2017/2018 flu season, the number of reported cases of influenza so far in this province, has surpassed last season’s numbers.
 
According to Alberta Health Services numbers, updated Jan. 11, there were 4,312 lab confirmed cases of Influenza ‘A’, and 1,455 lab confirmed cases of Influenza ‘B.’
 
Last season, there were a total of 3,703 cases of the ‘A’ flu strains, and 701 cases of the ‘B’ strains – less than half of the reported cases this season.
 
Hospital admissions for those suffering from both A and B strains are also approaching last season’s totals, with 1,570 admissions so far, compared with 1,653 admissions prior.
 
The number of deaths from flu-related complications is less than half that of last season. So far, 31 people have died from flu-related complications, whereas last season 64 lost their lives.
 
In the South Health Zone, the numbers reflect the provincial trend, with a combined 425 cases of both influenza types this season, compared with 361 cases in 2016/17.
 
Hospital admissions sit at 113, as opposed to 126, and two people have so far died, compared with seven by the end of the last flu season.