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
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.