Warning issued to Alberta parents regarding respiratory illness spread over holidays

A warning is being sent to parents about respiratory illness spread over the holidays, but can Albertans expect things to worsen before it gets better?

“It seems to be hitting kids and adults way harder,” says Kristine Chant, an Alberta parent. “When they do get sick, they are a lot sicker than they would have been in the past.”

Last week, Health Minister Jason Copping claimed the flu season had reached its peak, citing declining school absenteeism and wastewater analysis data.

However, Alberta hospitals continue to see above-average pediatric cases of RSV and Influenza, and it’s an issue not just in Alberta.

The president of the Canadian Medical Association says the situation is more likely to get worse before it gets better.

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“What we know is that if we don’t do an adequate intervention when it comes to respiratory illness, from previous ways that it’s affected adults, severity is gonna get worse,” explained Alika Lafontaine, President of Canadian Medical Association.

“These spikes will eventually resolve, as we know from the past, but in the meantime, it’s gonna be very very stressful for patients and their families.”

As families congregate for the holidays, the risk of viral spread increases. Peak Influenza season in Alberta is typically in January.

Lafontaine says hospitals simply cannot afford the increase in numbers and urges a number of precautions.

“Masking is probably something we should be considering right now. Isolation if we’re sick. We’ve been through this before with adults. We know all hands on deck, acting right now, solution is how we solve this problem. We need to take the same approach with our kids.”