How good is this year's flu shot? Here's what to know about flu season
Health experts in Canada are monitoring an early start to the flu season, noting that while cases are rising, the dominant H1N1 strain is generally milder. Authorities are encouraging vaccination as clinics begin rolling out shots to high-risk groups.
Why it matters
Public health awareness regarding seasonal influenza trends is critical for managing hospital capacity and preventing severe outcomes.
Some experts say that while this year's flu season may have arrived on our doorstep sooner than usual, it's not necessarily a cause for alarm — but other experts are stressing the importance of prevention in heavy-hit regions such as Toronto and Calgary, where one of this season's two influenza deaths so far has occurred, according to authorities.
The strain making up roughly 98 per cent of cases in Canada so far tends to be a milder one, according to Brian Ward, professor emeritus at the Research Institute of the McGill University Health Centre in Montreal.
"So far at least, this looks like an H1N1 dominated year, and the years where H1N1 dominates, you can have very large outbreaks, but the number or the proportion of people … who get very sick, is relatively small compared to years that are dominated by H3N2," he told CBC News.
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