BEAUFORT DELTA REGION – February 23, 2024. The Chief Public Health Officer is issuing a public health advisory to notify the public that influenza cases are rising in the Beaufort Delta region.
The NWT typically experiences two waves of influenza in the respiratory season. Influenza A tends to circulate from fall to winter and influenza B from winter to spring.
The first case of influenza B was reported in Inuvik on January 4, 2024. Increased cases of Influenza B and an uptick in RSV cases have been seen in many of the communities of the Beaufort Delta region since. Previously, the NWT experienced a large-scale influenza A outbreak in December 2023. We are now seeing an increase in Influenza B cases mainly in the Beaufort Delta region. Over the past week, 15 out of the total 17 confirmed cases of Influenza B have been reported from this region.
Similarly, the majority of our recent RSV cases in 2024 have been in Beaufort Delta.
Vaccination and staying home if you are sick are the best measures to prevent spread of disease. As we enter March spring break, we anticipate an influx of travelers and visitors, therefore it is important that the public (6 months of age and older) be up to date on their vaccines. This includes flu vaccine and other vaccines that may protect against viruses and bacteria spread through the air, such as measles and meningitis.
People at high-risk of influenza-related complications/hospitalization include:
- Children 6 months – 59 months of age.
- Adults 65 years of age and older.
- Pregnant individuals.
- People of any age who are residents of nursing homes or other long-term care facilities.
- People residing in small, rural, isolated communities with limited access to health car services.
Adults and children with the following health conditions:
- Chronic heart, lung, or kidney disease.
- Diabetes.
- Cancer or any other condition and/or medication that weakens the immune system.
- Extremely overweight.
- Anemia.
- Neurologic or neurodevelopmental conditions that increase risk in children (6 months to 18 years of age) on long-term aspirin therapy.
It is especially important to consider influenza vaccination if you are planning to travel over the spring break. Students returning home from post-secondary institutions should get vaccinated before they travel. It takes approximately 14 days after vaccination to be protected against influenza.
Call your local public health unit or community health center to book an appointment for your influenza vaccine. Those who may have already experienced Influenza A and have not yet received influenza vaccine can still be protected against Influenza B with vaccination. Anyone who needs two doses of influenza vaccine should get their second dose.
Stay home if you are sick. Follow general respiratory best practices such as covering coughs or sneezes, washing hands frequently and not attending public events, work or school if you are ill.
The Chief Public Health Officer will continue to monitor the situation and provide updates on a regular basis until the Advisory has been lifted.
For more information contact:
Andrew Wind
Manager Communications
Health and Social Services