PEI·NewHealth officials in Prince Edward Island have confirmed the province’s first cases of influenza and RSV. Dr. Heather Morrison, P.E.I.’s chief public health officer, said those cases came earlier than usual but are consistent with what officials are seeing in other provinces. ‘What we can do is help protect ourselves and the community,’ says Dr. Heather MorrisonMarilee Devries · CBC News · Posted: Oct 20, 2025 5:00 PM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hour agoP.E.I.’s chief public health office says its got the first lab-confirmed cases of the flu and RSV of the season, and is urging Islanders to get the flu vaccine. (New Africa / Shutterstock)Health officials in Prince Edward Island have confirmed the province’s first cases of influenza and RSV. Dr. Heather Morrison, P.E.I.’s chief public health officer, told CBC News that those cases came earlier than usual but are consistent with what health officials are seeing in other provinces. She noted that flu season has not yet officially begun on the Island. “We don’t say the influenza season has fully arrived until we have two weeks where our per cent positivity is greater than five per cent,” Morrison said. “However… with these early cases, I think it will start sooner.”As for whether that means Islanders should be bracing for a particularly difficult flu season, Morrison said each one is just a little bit different. “I think what it does remind us is that we can’t prevent the influenza season from coming. But what we can do is help protect ourselves and the community.” Morrison said vaccines continue to be one of the best tools to prevent the flu and other respiratory illnesses like respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV. ‘Every year, we know for sure we’re going to have a respiratory season and we’re going to have influenza,’ says Dr. Heather Morrison, P.E.I.’s chief public health officer. (Zoom)”We have protection programs and vaccines available that are free of charge that will decrease your chance of hospitalization, decrease your chances of… what we call severe outcomes,” she said. “When we look back at the last couple of years, the percentage of people who were admitted to hospital with COVID and the percentage of people who were admitted to hospital last year with influenza, the majority of them were not vaccinated.”Last year, flu season on P.E.I. had a late start, not reaching its peak until after Christmas, Morrison said.Influenza vaccines provide protection for about six months, and Morrison said the best time to get the shot is before there is widespread flu activity in the community. It takes about two weeks after a person is vaccinated for their body to develop full immunity. Flu and COVID-19 vaccines are available for free to all Islanders aged six months and older.People can get those vaccines through their family doctors, nurse practitioners, pharmacies and public health nursing.The province also expanded its RSV vaccine program this year. Free vaccines are available through public health nursing for infants and for seniors aged 75 and older.RSV infects the nose, throat and lungs. The common virus can lead to hospitalization for people without strong immune systems, such as infants and older adults with chronic health conditions.ABOUT THE AUTHORMarilee Devries is a journalist with CBC P.E.I. She has a journalism degree from Toronto Metropolitan University. She can be reached at marilee.devries@cbc.caWith files from Wayne Thibodeau
CPHO say flu season could start earlier in P.E.I. this year as first cases are confirmed
