Respiratory illness outbreaks at 22 Edmonton schools: AHS

Respiratory illness outbreaks have been declared at nearly two dozen Edmonton schools as of Wednesday.

So far this school year, Alberta Health Services (AHS) sent letters out to parents and guardians of 22 schools in the Edmonton Zone. During the same time period, three schools in the Calgary region were given the same designation.

According to a spokesperson, the letters were to inform “parents and guardians of a respiratory illness outbreak at their children’s school based on the threshold of 10 per cent total absenteeism, in line with past practice before COVID.”

AHS says respiratory illness outbreaks are not based on what virus is circulating, but rather on the symptoms.

RELATED: Albertans prepare for cold and flu season with COVID-19 in the mix – and no health restrictions

While it’s not uncommon to see a rise in respiracarlytory infections in the fall and winter, an expert in pediatric infectious diseases says there are other factors at play this year.

“There’s no reason for parents to be alarmed about the current situation,” said Dr. Joan Robinson, a professor at the University of Alberta.

Robinson says the factors are everything from a shift in behaviour to a shift in virus patterns.

“As we all know, COVID has never gone away,” Robinson told CityNews.

On top of adding an extra virus to the mix, other viruses common in children are appearing outside of their normal patterns.

“Now we have kids back at school with more viruses than we would normally see in September.”

WATCH: Preparing for first ‘full’ influenza season with COVID-19 in the mix

Robinson points to influenza as an example. She says typically the flu spreads in Edmonton from December to February, but this year it hit later and there may still be cases circulating.

“The other thing that has changed is that parents are so much more aware of colds than we were in the past,” she added.

Robinson believes this is a good thing, but notes it could drive up absentee numbers.

She says the best thing parents can do is continue with lessons learned during the pandemic: good hand washing, staying home when sick and staying up to date on immunization.

“People can get flu vaccines in October,” said Robinson. “I would really encourage people to do that. Because it seems it is going to be a bad flu season.”

17 EPSB schools on outbreak

Seventeen of the schools on outbreak are in the Edmonton Public School Board:

• Sweetgrass
• Keheewin
• Beacon Heights
• Oliver
• Virginia Park
• Ekota
• Belmont
• King Edward
• Clara Tyner
• Elmwood
• McKee
• Duggan
• Kirkness
• York
• James Gibbons
• Belmead
• Forest Heights

At a meeting Tuesday, the superintendent encouraged parents to continue using rapid COVID-19 tests, which are still offered for free at Alberta pharmacies, saying it helps them to know what virus is circulating in their schools.

“Moving forward, our Division will not be confirming specific schools on outbreak status because when a school is placed on outbreak status and removed, is a decision made by Alberta Health Services,” said EPSB in a statement.

AHS says symptomatic students should stay home from school.

“Students who are ill with respiratory symptoms should remain away from school until their symptoms have improved and they have been free of fever for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication, and they feel well enough to return to normal activities.”