The Grey-Bruce Health Unit has identified its first lab confirmed influenza case for the 2022-23 season.
In a release on September 22, the GBHU confirmed that a Bruce County native tested positive for influenza. The release states that the timing of this first positive case of the season indicates an earlier start to the flu season this year.
"The first case of the 2018-19 flu season was reported on Nov. 18, 2018, while the first case of the 2019-20 season was confirmed on Nov. 20, 2019. There are also indications that seasonal influenza and COVID-19 will co-circulate this fall and winter," the GBHU said in the release.
The National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recommends that everyone aged six months and older without contraindications to the vaccine should receive the flu shot each year.
“Seasonal influenza cases tend to spike during the fall and winter months. The exact timing of the flu season varies from year to year, but flu activity usually increases in October and peaks sometime between December and February,” shared Grey-Bruce Health Unit Physician Consultant Dr. Rim Zayed. “We strongly urge everyone in Grey-Bruce who is eligible to get the annual flu shot as soon as possible once it becomes available this fall. The flu vaccine is the single most effective way to prevent illness and complications from influenza.”