A common respiratory virus is dominating flu season and infecting Manitobans with a nasty fever, coughs and potential complications like pneumonia.
Dr. Tim Hilderman, provincial medical officer of health, said higher than usual levels of adenovirus are being reported across the province and the virus is popping up in many results at Cadham provincial lab.
A mutated strain of adenovirus contributed to at least 10 deaths in the U.S. in 2006 and the first-half of 2007.
Hilderman said the mutated strain has not appeared in Manitoba and that most people can recover at home with over-the-counter remedies and lots of fluids. Adenovirus is not tracked by Manitoba Health like influenza, but Hilderman said health officials get the sense it's more of a problem this time of year than normal.
"It can certainly knock you off your feet for a few days before the immune system kicks in and gets rid of it," Hilderman said.
"Based on what we're getting lab wise, there's higher levels (of adenovirus) than usual."
Although the first cases of influenza are usually reported between November and January, Hilderman said only one case of influenza B has been reported in Manitoba since the end of December.
That's left viruses like adenovirus, parainfluenza and rhinovirus -- the common cold -- causing most of the illness in the community, since Hilderman said these viruses can spread more easily than the flu. The viruses can get into the body if droplets from an infected person's cough land on the eyes, nose or mouth, or through contact with an infected surface.
Hilderman said at least one outbreak of parainfluenza was recorded in one Manitoba personal care home. Parainfluenza is a respiratory tract virus that is similar to adenovirus and can cause symptoms like runny nose, cough and congestion.
"They're more common, they may be more easily spread and they tend to produce milder illnesses," Hilderman said.
Hilderman said flu outbreak is notoriously difficult to predict and could appear within the coming weeks. He said the severity of influenza varies from year to year.
According to data from the Public Health Agency of Canada, 49 Manitobans have been tested for influenza as of Jan. 5 and the number of positive tests across Canada has been sporadic.
Last year, Manitoba had a mild flu season, with only 76 reported cases -- the second lowest number recorded in Canada.
"I don't have a good explanation on why we haven't seen (a flu outbreak) yet, but I can say it tends to be a bit hard to predict and very variable," Hilderman said.
The majority of people who fall ill with influenza don't visit their doctor, so Hilderman said there could be a time gap between when flu actually hits and when public health finds out about it.
jen.skerritt@freepress.mb.ca
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