This flu season has seen a serious outbreak of cases across the GTA. Toronto Public Health recorded more than 150 new lab instances in one week just before Christmas. Many hospitals are feeling the pressure and some have urged anyone with a manageable case of the flu to treat it at home rather than risk infecting patients at the hospital. “We are having a terrible flu season this year,” Dr. Brett Belchetz told CP24. He said part of the reason for the rise in flu cases is that the strain mutated and rendered the vaccine only about 50 per cent effective. As always, it is still a good idea to get the shot but there are also fears that the supply may not outlast the demand. The creation of the flu vaccine each year is a high-tech guessing game among scientists who do their best to calculate what the annual onslaught might look like, epidemiologically speaking. Elderly residents are most at risk for contracting the flu and the health department reports that 57 long-term care facilities have “active outbreaks.” Cummer Lodge, a facility in Willowdale, says that 17 of its residents have come down with respiratory illness and five are suffering from Gastroenteritis. Dr. Belchetz also recommends that those who have come down with the flu think twice before heading to the hospital. “You need to go to the hospital if you are having difficulty breathing, if you are having difficulty controlling your fever or if you are having difficulty staying hydrated,” he said. “Otherwise stay at home and try not to get other people sick.”
