Influenza blamed in deaths of Regina-area women, ages 33 and 48, last month

Colleen Silverthorn · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 22, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 7 minutes ago

By each accounts, 48-year-old Lynette Buhler was the representation of health. The azygous parent dedicated her beingness to her children and the aged patients she cared for successful her occupation astatine a nursing home. 

"She touched everybody's beingness that she met. She was kind, always," said Brandy Fatteicher, Buhler's 24-year-old daughter.

But successful precocious February, Buhler, who lived successful Qu'Appelle — astir 57 kilometres eastbound of Regina — picked up a flu bug and was sick capable she had to miss her last 2 shifts astatine the Regina attraction location wherever she worked.

Buhler's person Sue McGee said she became worryingly sick implicit the weekend.

McGee said Buhler's spouse drove her to a adjacent infirmary successful Indian Head wherever she was diagnosed with influenza A.

McGee said Buhler was sent location with Tamiflu, an antiviral medicine utilized to dainty influenza, and told to remainder and portion plentifulness of fluids. It didn't help.

"He said she can't adjacent beryllium up. She mislaid bladder power and she was vomiting," McGee said. 

"She was crying and she was successful pain," Fatteicher said.

Buhler's condition continued to worsen and she was taken by ambulance and admitted to intensive attraction astatine the Pasqua Hospital successful Regina, McGee said.

Fatteicher, who lives successful Waldheim, said that erstwhile she arrived successful Regina her parent was desperately sick. 

"They were fundamentally telling america that she's fighting, she's precise tough, She mightiness propulsion done from this. But arsenic a health-care idiosyncratic myself, erstwhile I walked into the room, I knew better," Fatteicher said.

On Tuesday, March 4, Buhler died, 1 week aft contracting influenza.

"She was the healthiest idiosyncratic I knew,"  Fatteicher said. 

Five influenza-related deaths successful March

Buhler isn't the lone big nether 65 diagnosed with influenza to dice successful March.

The household of a 33-year-old azygous parent confirmed to CBC that she besides died successful a Regina infirmary from complications of influenza.

A published obituary for Nattea Anais Haus stated that she died March 28 from influenza complications, leaving down her six-year-old girl to beryllium raised by family.

According to the Ministry of Health, determination person been 12 influenza-related deaths since Jan. 1 in Saskatchewan, a fig it says is connected par with erstwhile years.

The Community Respiratory Illness Surveillance Program (CRISP), which  monitors influenza and COVID-19 cases successful the province, recorded 5 influenza deaths betwixt March 9 and April 5 of this year, but the actual number could beryllium higher.

There were nary influenza-related deaths recorded connected March 4, the time Buhler died. 

McGee and Fatteicher said they're inactive waiting connected Buhler's aesculapian records and an authoritative origin of death, which could alteration the CRISP statistics.

Vaccination effectual against influenza: microbiologist

Joseph Blondeau, a objective microbiologist with the University of Saskatchewan, said galore radical don't recognize however superior influenza tin be.

"Unfortunately this is simply a microorganism that tin origin decease crossed each property groups," Blondeau said.

"It tin beryllium a very, precise pathogenic virus."

Blondeau said this past flu play was a atrocious one, with trial positivity rates for influenza A hitting 25 per cent. 

"25 per cent means there's a batch of influenza. This was a atrocious twelvemonth for influenza A."

Blondeau said the flu vaccine provided bully protection, falling wrong the scope of 40-60 per cent coverage, but helium said vaccination rates person been dropping, leaving less radical protected from terrible illness.

"We person immoderate morganatic concerns astir vaccine complacency." 

Fatteicher said that, to her knowledge, her ma had ne'er received a flu shot.

"My ma was a pugnacious person," she said.

"She was steadfast arsenic a equine and … she got sick ace speedy and casual and passed away."