Strang shares tips with families as cold, flu, RSV cases rise in Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia’s top doctor is reaching out to families with advice as viruses continue to circulate in the province.
In a letter shared with school boards across the province, Dr. Robert Strang asked Nova Scotians to do their part to ensure fewer people get sick.
He said, while the province is seeing a decrease in COVID-19 cases, influenza, RSV and colds are on the rise.
Nova Scotia’s latest Respiratory Watch data shows that in the last three weeks of November, lab-confirmed cases more than doubled each week. From Nov. 20 to 26, there were 524 new cases of influenza A and no new cases of influenza B.
Strang said that while the viruses are typically mild for most children, they can be “very serious” for infants and toddlers and they could end up in the emergency department or admitted to hospital.
Dr. Andrew Lynk, the head of pediatrics at the IWK Health Centre, joined Strang during a Nov. 17 press conference to discuss high patient numbers.
Lynk said that acute care services for children have been “stretched” across the province.
Monday’s letter from Strang provided five tips people can use to protect themselves and others:
- Children over six months of age should get their influenza vaccine as soon as possible. Everyone in the family should also receive their flu vaccine.
- You and your child should be up-to-date on all vaccines, including tetanus, pertussis, measles and COVID-19.
- Sick children should stay home until they are feeling better. Once a child is able to return to school and activities, they should wear a mask when around others for two to three days, if possible.
- People who have to visit a public indoor space should wear a mask.
- Friends and relatives who are sick should not be around infants, young children and those with other health challenges.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
This Toronto restaurant is no longer accepting tips. Here's how it's going
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff – tipping is no longer accepted.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
What new auto insurance reforms will mean for Ontarians, if they get introduced
Ontario has among the highest rates for auto insurance premiums in Canada -- just below Alberta and Nova Scotia -- however, the introduction of an insurance reform in the provincial budget could soon lower prices.