‘It’s unprecedented’: no ​​cases of flu have been detected in Saskatchewan this season

As cases of COVID-19 continue to climb through the country, it is difficult to find cases of another infectious disease.

In most parts of Canada the flu numbers are extremely low, and in Saskatchewan it does not exist.

“It’s amazing, I mean it’s unprecedented,” said University of Regina Biology professor Andrew Cameron.

“This is one of the good news that I think everyone needs.”

According to the Saskatchewan Ministry of Health, no flu cases have been confirmed in the province since the flu season 2020-2021 began.

Service data show that approximately 1 year ago, from 18 January 2020, 1 154 cases of influenza and ten deaths as a result were confirmed.

This year’s trend comes despite the ministry estimating that flu vaccination until 31 December 2020 is actually lower than in the same period in 2019.

Cameron said the pandemic that is already pushing healthcare systems to the extreme cannot exaggerate the value of a quiet flu season.

‘Vaccination rates are usually around 30 percent. We do not just appreciate how important the influence of flu is. It does cause significant deaths and burden on health care each year. And it mostly affects the elderly, ”he said.

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As to why flu has not made a name for itself this season, health experts say we can thank the measures to prevent the more contagious and deadly coronavirus from spreading.

“If your car is weatherproof to be good at -40, you know it will be good at -20,” explained Kyle Andersen, biomedical professor at the University of Saskatchewan.

Andersen said flu migrates between hemispheres to cooler weather, and that travel restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic could probably also help spread flu viruses.

“There was less flu in places like Asia, South America and Australia because they did the same things we did for COVID-19,” he said.

Andersen thinks as long as strict health measures remain, the trend of low flu numbers could continue until the next flu season.

Influenza is always being reintroduced by bird populations and pigs and things like that. We will therefore never be able to really get rid of it, ”he said. “But reducing the total number of people who are sick with the flu on earth – it will have a long-term effect.”

Both Cameron and Andersen suggest that good physical distancing and hygiene protocols will continue to be important in ensuring that flu and COVD-19 do not overload the Saskatchewan health care system until 2021 and beyond.

“I think we’re going to get to a point where we’re going to do away with restrictions and go back to things politically, as usual. But hopefully we will be able to say things like ‘you know what, take a sick day’. Taking sick days is important because it is not only good for you, but it is good for other people. Or, [in the case of] disease, people may be more willing to wear a mask if they go out in public. ‘

Cameron added that the combination of the new disease and the seasonal flu, even with a significant portion of the population vaccinated for COVID-19, could still, in the worst case, overwhelm health care.

“The flu can come with revenge. Next year could be terrible, “said Cameron. “It could be that we get what we feared would happen this year – that we get the double slap.”