This year’s flu season has been a rough one, as emergency rooms across Canada became overcrowded with sick patients beginning in January of this year. In a Globe and Mail article in January, Dr. Issac Bogoch, an infectious disease specialist at University Health Network in Toronto, said the predominant strain that is circulating is a “severe one. It’s also possible the flu vaccine may have limited effectiveness against it”. (Globe and Mail, January 2018)
By late February, CTV confirmed his suspicions, with hospitals needing to turn people away requiring surgeries, due to “unprecedented” overcrowding from flu patients in intensive care.
While we are past the official peak of the influenza epidemic, Creating Together brought in Rachael from Toronto Public Health to share some information and tips for dealing with Cold and Flu.
Specifically, Rachael discussed with parents and caregivers what the difference is between Cold and Flu, how to protect your child from the flu, and what to do if your child gets the flu.
Rachael sparked discussion with parents and caregivers, and made herself available for questions. It was so informative and helpful, so we included her main talking points on each of these topics below.
On behalf of all of the parents, caregivers, and children in our community, thank you!