John Elflein
Research expert covering health and health care
Influenza and pneumonia in Canada - Statistics & Facts
Influenza, or the flu, is one of the most common infectious diseases worldwide and affects thousands of people in Canada each year. Although the majority of influenza cases in Canada are not serious and most people recover without treatment, influenza can lead to severe illness and is a common cause of pneumonia, a serious infection of the lungs. Children, older adults, and those with preexisting conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer, are most likely to experience severe illness or pneumonia from influenza. Although many people view influenza as a relatively harmless seasonal illness, influenza and pneumonia are the eighth leading cause of death in Canada, accounting for 5,931 deaths in 2020.
The impact of influenza varies by year
Influenza in Canada is seasonal with the virus usually circulating from August to March. The prevalence and severity of influenza varies from year to year as different strains of influenza circulate each season. For example, during the 2014-2015 season there were almost 12,500 reported cases of influenza A in Canada, compared to just under 3,000 cases during the 2021-2022 influenza season. Similarly, rates of hospitalization due to influenza can differ drastically from season to season. In 2017-2018, there were around 64 influenza-related hospitalizations per 100,000 population, with this rate reaching just nine per 100,000 population in the 2021-2022 season. However, hospitalization rates due to influenza are consistently higher among children aged 0 to four years and older adults 65 years and older.Who is most likely to die from influenza and pneumonia?
The rate of death from influenza and pneumonia also varies each year. From 2000 to 2020, the lowest rate of influenza and pneumonia deaths was 15 per 100,000 population in 2010, with a high of 23.2 per 100,000 population in the year 2018. Over this period, women had higher rates of death due to influenza and pneumonia than men for every year except for 2020, in which the death rate for both men and women was 15.6 per 100,000 population. Rates of death from influenza and pneumonia increase significantly with age, with the death rate for those aged 90 years and older reaching almost 618 per 100,000 population in 2020, compared to a rate of just 14 per 100,000 among those aged 65 to 69.How to protect against influenza
Some ways to protect against influenza include avoiding people when they are sick, regularly washing your hands, and avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. However, the best and most effective way to protect against influenza and serious complications from the virus is to receive a yearly influenza vaccination. Because different strains of influenza circulate each season it is necessary to get a new influenza vaccination each year and the effectiveness of the vaccine varies from year to year. Nevertheless, the flu vaccine is the most effective way to protect against flu and related complications and is recommended for almost everyone, especially children, older adults, and those with chronic health conditions. However, despite its wide availability and proven safety and effectiveness only 39 percent of Canadians reported receiving an influenza immunization in the past year in 2020, which was the highest rate over the past two decades. Rates of immunization are much higher among older adults, with up to 70 percent of those aged 65 years and older receiving a flu shot in 2021, compared to 32 percent of those aged 18 to 64 years. A survey from 2021 found that the three most common responses as to why Canadian adults did not receive an influenza vaccination are “I am healthy/never get the flu”, “no specific reason, just didn’t get it”, and “I didn’t get around to it”.
