Have you ever been tested when you have a severe viral bug?

Another couple of trips around the frog pond. I haven't left the property since getting this virus. One of our contractors had it twice, he said. I am seriously wondering if it is something like the Enterovirus D68, or Influenza A or B. The Whooping Cough type of cough I have had is horrible.
It's been 3 weeks. I've gone from diarrhea, to a head cold, to a cough. Then, sinusitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, on antibiotics, still some sinusitis, and a cough.

This is pretty scary stuff: from White Coat Black Art:

Mystery Paralysis in Kids

More than a hundred children in the US -- and at least six in Canada -- have developed a mysterious form of paralysis. Health officials are trying to determine if it could be related to Enterovirus D68 which has hospitalized hundreds of kids in North America.

CBC.CA

None of our healthcare people suggested a test. It isn't mandatory that the provinces and territories report these flu incidents. Yet, it does kill. Many long-term care homes are shut down. It is so easily spread. Some kids are getting some paralysis with the Enterovirus. I believe it is under-reported.

Lots get awfully sick with flu each year.
This was last moths chart.

Have you ever been tested when you have a severe viral bug? Normally, you stay at home, although many do not or cannot.

The Media is focusing on Ebola, rather that the flu bugs, which are killing the very young and old:

Alberta Week 42 of 2014:

3 deaths

30 Albertans have been admitted to hospital

66 laboratory confirmed cases of influenza A so far

8 laboratory confirmed cases of influenza B

This year's more virulent Enterovirus seems on the wane

Toronto Star-Oct 19, 2014Share

By: Joseph Hall News reporter, Published on Sun Oct 19 2014 ...Ontario has had more than 160 confirmed cases. It has been linked to seven deaths in the U.S. ... yet far less ballyhooed viral threat — the annual influenza that kills tens of thousands across the continent each year — is in the offing.

Back to the frog pond

I love the frog pond, although perhaps we should now call it the muskrat pond. I've carved out a path and walk right around it. It's a bit of exercise for me, some fresh air, and the cats have a grand time.
You can tell the muskrats by their rat-tails! They are very furry.

This time, Dorah came along and decided to climb a tree- she went very high in the penultimate photo.
There was ice on the pond (3rd from the last photo). Winter is coming!
I've counted 4 muskrat structures, so far. Talk about 'busy as a beaver.' I saw two of them the other day, They took off as soon as we arrived at the pond. That day it was Buster with me.

 

Canadian H1N1 Statistics: confirmed cases, hospitalisations, deaths

I've been following the statistics.

Week 2 are the most recent. FluWatch keeps stats weekly.
They say the worst of it has passed.

• To date this season, 2,298 influenza-associated hospitalizations and 113 deaths have been reported by participating provinces and territories.

According to the Canadian Medical Association Journal (Jan. 14/14):

DOI:10.1503/cmaj.109-4701

The worrisome factor at this point "is the reported mortality rate in Alberta," says Dr. Pierre Lebel, an infectious disease specialist at the McGill University Health Centre in Montréal, Que. As of Jan. 13, there were 10 confirmed deaths in Alberta attributed to type A (H1N1) influenza, as well as 1 in British Columbia, 6 in Saskatchewan, 6 in Ontario, 1 in Quebec and 2 in Nova Scotia.

The CMA tells us that while H1N1 has shown up in Canada again, it's no where near what it was in 2009. Normally, seasonal flu will strike 20,000 who must go into hospital. Normally, between 4,000 and 8,000 people die each year from flu. So far, this season,
"Since the start of the 2013-14 season to January 4, 2014, 33 deaths have been reported from participating provinces and territories: three cases under 20 years of age and thirty cases 20 years of age or older."
It's really difficult to find up-to-date info, with FluWatch.ca being at least a week behind.
The reports of deaths (text vs. graph) from influenza are contradicted on its site:

Graphs of flu deaths over time

Total deaths 317?

After killing 248,000 people worldwide in 2009, this year (2013/14) Europe is seeing H3N2 as predominant. There are many mysteries around influenza.

It's very interesting to see how the number of cases doesn't match for population sizes. Ontario, with a population of 12.8m has about 2600 confirmed flu cases; Alberta, with only 1/3 the population, has nearly as many cases: 2340.

	Week 2
FLU 2014	TYPE A	A + B
Provinces	Cases			Population
Ontario	2590	2646		12.8m
Alberta	2332	2357		3.6m
Quebec	1410	1669
B.C.	887	908		4.6m
Saskatchewan	725	726		1m
Manitoba	120	129
Newfoundland	82	108
N.B.	235	236		0.75m
N.S.	30	30		0.9m
PEI	1	1
Canada	8412	8810		35m

Here is week 1 (Dec. 29 -  Jan.4).

It's move into the Outawois, southern Quebec.
And widespread in Alberta.

Hopefully, it will peak soon.
You can see the differences between hospitalisation rates and deaths back when H1N1 first confronted us.

We have learned lessons, and it appears that the vaccines have been working pretty well.

Influenza Surveillance

To see where the flu is active in Canada, visit the FluWatch web site. FluWatch produces weekly influenza surveillance reports from October to May and bi-weekly reports from June to September each year.

• FluWatch web site
• Reported Influenza Hospitalizations and Deaths in Canada: 2009-10 to 2013-14

Influenza H1N1 is bad this winter: 2013/2014

Canadian
FluWatch web site

H1N1 dose

Hunkered down, with a freezing rain warning, a wind warning, and a flash freeze warning, it's seems to be a good day to stay home! The roads are terrible.

I've been amusing myself with research. To see where the flu is active in Canada, visit FluWatch.

FluWatch.ca produces weekly influenza surveillance reports from October to May, but they only report laboratory-confirmed test results. I'm sure you know people who have fought this virus and won. Most of the testing has shown that over 90% of flu results indicate that it is the H1N1 that is causing these illnesses.

Canadian activity

Unfortunately, it is really hard to find specific statistics by province. Flu Watch reports all of Canada. This site collects Yahoo news of H1N1 articles.

You have to go to provincial or regional health centres, and/or local newspapers, for data broken down by province or territory and they report metropolitan area healthcare systems (i.e., the large cities). No one wants to brag about how many cases of flu they have!

Ottawa Health has had two deaths from flu and 3 outbreaks in long-term care homes. There were 81 lab-confirmed cases, but there are many who do not report and do not test for the virus. There were 22 people placed in hospital.

Toronto Health has had 210 confirmed cases, with 6 deaths. It's bad in Ontario, but the provi

Red = H1N1 "A"; Blue = Type B flu

nce of Alberta is the worst so far with 965 confirmed cases, 5 deaths.

The Vancouver  Sun reports: "About half of Fraser Health's severe cases involve "significantly overweight" patients, who are more susceptible to more serious symptoms." There were 11 cases in long-term care (a high-risk population), 20 hospitalizations, and, perhaps, one death (yet to be confirmed).

Flu Watch tells us that the very young and the very old were the most at-risk in the 2009 pandemic, but this year, 24 - 64 year olds have been more susceptible, and getting ill, as well as the very young.

Our seniors have, it seems, developed antibodies, bless their souls. There is research to show that slight exposure does build up your immunities. "The things that don't quite kill you make you stronger."
August - December 2013. They track confirmed cases only, I wonder how many unconfirmed there are?
The territories report to particular labs in provinces.

FLU 2013	TYPE A	A + B
Provinces	Cases		Flu-related Deaths	Population
Ontario	1006	1033	8	12.8m
Alberta	868	1335	9	3.6m
QC	365	462
B.C.	229	239	1	4.6m
Saskatchewan	167	167	6	1m
Manitoba	28	35
Newfoundland	15	19
N.B.	12	12		0.75m
N.S.	8	8		0.9m
PEI	1	1
Canada	2699	3311	24	35m

The cities are the worst, with people who commute.

Week 52, Geographic spread of influenza

In week 50 (December) four regions had local, sporadic activity. Methinks the holiday season spread the virus aplenty ( Figure 1 )! By week 52 you can see how they increased.

I cannot find specific data for NWT. I tried!

Alberta Ontario reports: SE Ontario is bad. Alberta is worse. Alberta’s H1N1 outbreak leads to rush in flu vaccinations ... There have been 965 lab-confirmed cases of influenza in Alberta as of Jan. 1, with the H1N1strain representing 920 of those cases. There are  270 in hospital in Alberta. With 3 dead in Edmonton, 2 and dead in Calgary.

I'm amazed at the number of people who still eschew the vaccine. We hunker down in groups for winter: in schools and offices, with people who come to work quite ill. How can you NOT be exposed to the virus?! There are many who still don't cough or sneeze into their elbows. It boils down to washing your hands. There is little else to do, really. Stay home if you are ill. Get enough sleep, eat properly, exercise, and go outside to play! I find there are many personal support workers (PSW) doing home care who do not wash their hands frequently enough. I've seen them during my hospice work.

Flu shots are freely available from your Canadian physician, or from health clinics, each province/territorial health authority makes them available.

• How to separate immunization fact from fiction
• December 15 to 28, 2013 (Weeks 51 & 52)