As flu season approaches, the Northwest Territories Health Unit takes the lead in the fight against several viruses: RSV, COVID-19 and influenza.
Dr. Kami Kandola, NWT’s lead public fitness officer, issued a public fitness advisory Tuesday warning it could be a “serious” season to breathe viruses.
She said she has begun to see lab-confirmed cases of RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, in young children. It is also experiencing more severe respiratory disorders and hospitalizations of children under five, and the territory has now registered its first laboratory. – Confirmed case of influenza of the season.
That means its branch launches its antibody program for babies with RSV threat on Nov. 1, earlier than usual. Features along the way.
Kandola joined CBC’s Loren McGinnis on Thursday morning on The Trailbreaker to talk about the show.
This interview has been edited by and lengthed.
Let’s start with RSV. Can you know what that is and why you are raising this fear now?
RSV is a respiratory virus and can have mild symptoms for most: fever, runny nose, cough. But in young children, especially those under the age of two, it can lead to pneumonia and inflammation of the small airways, which we call bronchiolitis, and can lead to hospitalizations.
My fear is that in the Northwest Territories we regularly have a limited RSV season: it’s the winter months. We usually start seeing RSV in December and then it starts to fade in April. What was uncommon last year is that in our wastewater monitoring, we saw the RSV until the end of July, and the RSV starts early now. We have noticed cases since October. Our RSV season starts early and we have already noticed some hospitalizations.
We are implementing our Synagis program, which is a monoclonal antibody. We target very, very vulnerable people, who are our premature babies, babies with chronic lung disease, and those with severe volatile center disease. It comes out on November 1.
The season lasted a long time, where the last season was extended, and now it starts early. Do you have any idea why?
This isn’t just happening in the Northwest Territories. For two years, we had COVID-19 measures: we had mandatory masks, limited gatherings in terms of size. So we had all those precautions that we took from the COVID-19 virus, still us from the flu, colds and RSV as well. Now that we have lifted the measures, young people are returning to kindergartens and schools and interacting. And now they face those viruses all at once, at the same time.
In terms of RSV, depending on how it spreads, what do we do?
Take the same precautions you would take with flu, colds, and COVID. First of all, parents, if your child is sick, stay home until he grows up so that he does not spread to daycares or other children. Practice smart hand washing. Wear a mask if necessary. Cover up when coughing and sneezing.
Unfortunately, for RSV, there is still no vaccine. But you can get a flu shot and you can get a COVID-19 shot.
There are also things. Breastfeeding is one thing and mothers can pass on antibodies to their children.
He has appointed a medical intervention that he will implement on November 1 for those most at risk. Can you know what that is?
These are preformed antibodies, Synagis, and we use them for our children at maximum risk. We implement them as a life-saving measure, to avoid severe RSV headaches, i. e. pneumonia, bronchiolitis and hospitalization.
We usually never implement it as early as November 1st and tend to prevent it around April or May. But this year we avoided expiration and now we are implementing it early so that young children with the maximum threat of hospitalization can get this preform. antibodies in advance. That way, if they’re exposed to RSV, they have those antibodies to fight it.
This antibody will be given once a month.
How has the removal of public fitness restrictions affected our severe respiratory illnesses, flu, and things like RSV?
If you look at why we started masking ourselves, and we’re in our COVID-19 infections, if you look at our wastewater monitoring, COVID-19 started to minimize in our wastewater. I think we have more immunity from the population. So when it comes to COVID-19, as more and more people have been exposed, we see less and less.
The challenge with influenza and RSV is that in the last two years, we have noticed almost no cases of influenza. There were no flu-related hospitalizations. The RSV was calm, it wasn’t causing as many challenges as we expected at the moment. , so basically children don’t have the same immunity. They were quite protected, so in this autumn season, as we return to our same technique before the winter season, there are many more people who are not immune. to RSV. Then they will pick it up and spread it quickly.
With influenza, the good news is that we are implementing flu clinics. We inspire parents to vaccinate their children. Other people usually think of seniors or other people with chronic illnesses, but everyone deserves to get a flu shot. You can have a low rate and the only organization that is not eligible for this vaccine are children under six months of age.
Can you communicate about the launch of the bivalent COVID vaccine?
On October 25, we launched the bivalent Moderna vaccine, which protects against BA. 1 and has the ancestral stock. It should be kept as a reminder for everyone over the age of 18.
From the beginning of November we will also have available the Pfizer bivalent, which is the BA. 4/5 strain and ancestral strain, and which will be available to citizens from the age of 12.
It is a bivalent given only as a reminder. You will need to be at least six months since you won your last dose of a COVID-19 vaccine and at least 3 months since a COVID-19 infection.
What is important is that. . . Some other people have a higher risk of serious illness or outcomes than others. So if you’re an older person, especially if you’re 60 or older, if you haven’t been vaccinated or didn’t gain the booster or have been partially vaccinated, you’re in more danger. If you are pregnant or have a severely compromised immune system and suffer from chronic diseases, such as receiving an organ transplant, cancer treatment, high blood pressure, central disease, lung disease, kidney disease, liver disease, are at increased risk, as well as other people with dementia, stroke, diabetes and those who are severely obese with a body mass index of 40 or higher.
Anything to add?
We’ve all learned over the past two years about healthy habits. So continue to practice your healthy habits. Stay home if you are sick, do not pass it on to others. Update your vaccines and we’ll get through it.
With files via Loren McGinnis
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