The Medical Officer of Health for Southern Health says it has been a typical flu season here in Southeastern Manitoba.

Dr. Michael Routledge says influenza has reached the Southeast and doctors are seeing it in hospitals and personal care homes. He notes so far this year’s strain of Influenza has not been particularly severe. He adds they expect the number of cases to go up just a little compared to last year.

"It is probably going to be relatively normal, maybe a bit busier than normal. The numbers are always difficult to tell and the numbers that we report are lab-confirmed cases and that is only the tip of the iceberg of what we know happens with influenza because most people who have influenza don’t see a doctor, don’t get it tested, doesn’t get reported."

Dr. Routledge says even though the symptoms and severity of this year's influenza don’t seem out of the ordinary, the flu can still take you out of your regular day to day activities for a good chunk of time.

"When people do get influenza, and on any given flu season there is a good percentage of our population that will get infected, it can knock you out. It is quite different from a typical cold where usually you don’t feel too sick with them but influenza is different. It makes you feel sick with fever and muscle aches and shakes can really knock you out for a couple of days."

Dr. Routledge says so far there have not been any reports of influenza-related deaths in the Southern Health region this year.