It is the season and residents are being advised to take precautions.
In Saskatchewan up until December 28, there were 161 lab-confirmed cases of influenza, seven hospitalizations of people with severe influenza-related illness, and three deaths. The influenza season had a slow start; however the level of influenza activity is increasing, says the region's chief medical health officer. In response, the Sunrise Health Region has announced it will hold additional influenza clinics, including two evening clinics in Yorkton. Persons not able to attend a clinic can call any of the local public health offices to arrange an appointment to be immunized. The clinics list can be accessed via a link on the home page of www.sunrisehealthregion.sk.ca.; the upcoming Yorkton dates are:
January 10, 10 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Yorkton Public Health Office
January 14, 4 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. Yorkton Public Health Office
January 24, 12 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. Yorkton Public Health Office
H1N1 is the predominant strain circulating. This means that children under five years of age as well as young and middle-aged adults are more likely to be susceptible to influenza, so we anticipate that illness will disproportionately affect these people.
Other high risk groups include adults 65 year of age and over; persons with a chronic health condition or those who are morbidly obese; pregnant women; and residents of a nursing home or other care facility. Vaccination is also recommended for individuals in close contact with these high risk groups.
You can also protect yourself against seasonal influenza and reduce transmission of influenza in the community by adopting infection prevention methods such as frequent hand washing, coughing and sneezing into your sleeve rather than your hand, cleaning surfaces often, and staying at home when sick.
