Influenza rates in southwestern Saskatchewan are continuing to climb even with fall-like weather conditions.

Test positivity rates for the contagious respiratory illness in the region are over 15 per cent. That figure is well above the two per cent mark local physicians have set to notify them when influenza is now taking effect.

Dr. David Torr, the medical health officer for the southwest (four through six networks) and area department lead for public health and preventative medicine for integrated rural with the SHA, said the illness spreading rapidly.

"There is a lot of flu going around," he said. "This slightly warmer winter is not slowing it down at all. It's here and it's on the increase."

There are a variety of ways the public can decrease their risk of catching influenza, dressing warmly outside, keeping hydrated, having good nutrition, not exhausting your body, washing your hands, and avoiding large crowds.

"What happens with the human body is that whenever your temperature is too far below your body temperature, the external temperature, your blood vessels, especially around the nostrils and throat, they constrict to preserve the warmth into the body," he explained. "When they shrink, you have less protective cells moving around in those areas and those are the areas that the viruses attack."  

Another tool that will help mitigate the effect if you've caught influenza, is the vaccine.

"They do not prevent you from getting the illness," he said. "They prevent you from having serious illness or having serious complications. They make your infection much lighter."

Torr advised other ways to fight off flu-like symptoms include sleeping, allowing your body to rest, staying hydrated, taking relevant medication, and staying home to prevent the spreading of it to colleagues/friends/family.  

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