Flu cases continue to rise across Canada, public health agency data shows [Video]

Flu cases are continuing to rise across the country, public health data shows, with Quebec, B.C. and the territories particularly hard hit as vulnerable patients seek help at hospitals.

The Public Health Agency of Canada’s website says 24 per cent of cases tested positive for influenza during the week ending Feb. 8 — up from the already-high 21 per cent the week before.

Only some people get tested when they seek medical care, so positive case rates are “the tip of the iceberg” when it comes to how much flu is actually circulating, said Dr. Jesse Papenburg, an infectious diseases specialist at Montreal Children’s Hospital.

A lot of kids with flu symptoms are coming to his emergency department and the number of children admitted to hospital has been increasing over the past few weeks, he said, noting that some children have had to go to the intensive care unit.

Children under six years of age, seniors, …