Ahoooo! Flu bug lingers as cool weather, cold season looms

No, it’s not your imagination.

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That stubborn cold is lingering, that nagging cough just won’t go away and flu season is not even in full swing yet.

The Middlesex-London Health Unit issued a reminder that as we head indoors and gather together, local residents must also guard against flu and Covid-19.

“We’re monitoring a number of indicators, a variety of respiratory viruses including flu and Covid. The symptoms are quite similar in the beginning,” said Joanne Kearon, acting medical officer of health for the health unit.

“There’s a lot of transmission going on, a lot of respiratory viruses.”

It is possible for someone to have a bug and then fall ill again with a new virus, making it feel as though it’s one ongoing illness, she added. “It’s not uncommon to be sick with a respiratory virus and then catch another one. Covid has been the predominant virus but we are heading into respiratory season.”

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To guard against falling ill, Kearon suggests returning to lessons learned in the pandemic, including wearing a mask, washing hands frequently, staying home if you feel ill and getting vaccinated for flu and Covid, with the latest vaccines now available.

“We’re encouraging people to reach out to your health-care provider, make an appointment with a pharmacy and you can receive both,” she said. “Just as the flu vaccine is an annual shot, Covid vaccines may also become a yearly event as it is updated to guard against the current prevalent strain.”

There is no data or figures collected as to how many influenza sufferers there may be in London, but London Health Sciences Center has seen a spike in children with respiratory issues reporting to its emergency department, officials from the hospital said in an email response.

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A recent post on the London Ontario Reddit page drew a lengthy exchange of people discussing the lingering flu here.

“Since the beginning of September. . . cough won’t go away, phlegm every day a few times a day, weak as hell by the end of the day, ugh whatever is going around really sucks,” wrote one person. “Every time I am out in public I hear the juicy cough come from every direction.”

There are no cases of influenza reported to the health unit, as it appears to be a mild strain even if it is lingering. But the health unit also states on its website it has had 26 COVID cases since August 2024 and 10 deaths.

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COVID-19

The latest Covid-19 vaccines have arrived in Middlesex and London.

• There will not be large-scale vaccination clinics, go to your doctor or a pharmacy.
• The first doses are geared to those who are at the highest risk: Those 65 and older, residents of long-term care homes, pregnant, from First Nations, racialized, who have underlying medical conditionschildren six months to four years of age, health care workers, first responders.

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THE FLU

Signs and symptoms: Fever, cough, headache, muscle aches, chills, loss of appetite, tiredness, sore throat, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea (especially in children).

How does the flu spread:

• Through droplets from coughing, sneezing, or talking. These droplets can land in mouths, noses or eyes of people nearby. You can also catch the flu by touching unwashed hands or contaminated surfaces like toys, doorknobs, or utensils and then touching your face.
• It can take one to seven days to show flu symptoms after being infected. People can spread the flu before they feel sick.

What do I do: Get the flu shot, wash your hands, stay home, cover your cough or sneeze, keep your distance

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