EDMONTON - One person has died from H1N1 influenza in Alberta, and the province's senior medical officer of health says this year's strain is causing a small number of people to get seriously ill.
Dr. Gerry Predy also says the number of confirmed influenza cases in the Edmonton area has jumped this week to 125, up from 65 last week.
Predy says those numbers, and the death, are not unusual, but what is is that there's a small number of people who have been seriously ill with the flu.
He says there will be drop-in clinics open over the holidays and is encouraging people to get a vaccination.
Predy says this H1N1 strain has been around for about five years and hits people in their 30s, 40s and 50s harder than seniors, who usually get very ill with other strains.
The doctor says the number of confirmed cases will rise even more when children head back to school in January.