Ulukhaktok shuts down after flu strikes the community

A late-season round of the flu is so widespread in Ulukhaktok, N.W.T., that community officials shut down all services in the hamlet on Wednesday.

The community's daycare, school and recreation centre are all closed for the day.

At least a quarter of the children at the school were sick, so it was closedfor a cleaning, explained Dr. Kami Kandola, the Northwest Territories deputy chief public health officer.

"I did speak to the nurse about how many patients they've been seeing, and they saw about eight people yesterday with flu-like symptoms," she said.

Services in Ulukhaktok should return to normal by Thursday morning.

This year's flu season has been particularly brutal across North America, with nearly 45,000 laboratory-confirmed cases reported across Canada so far this season.

But flu numbers in the Northwest Territories are actually down compared to last year, Kandola said, even though it hit most communities earlier than usual.

It's still a good idea to get a flu shot, she said.