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Ottawa Flu Surge: Wastewater Levels Four Times Higher
9 Jan
Summary
- Wastewater flu traces are four times higher than in previous years.
- Seventeen percent of hospital patients have respiratory issues.
- Three children died from flu complications in early December.
Influenza continues to impact Ottawa, with elevated levels of the virus detected in city wastewater. Recent analyses reveal flu traces are four times higher than observed during the same period in 2024 and 2025, though this marks an improvement from the previous week when levels were twelve times higher.
Local hospitals are currently treating a higher volume of patients with respiratory illnesses, with approximately 17% of cases related to such conditions, exceeding the three-year average of 13%. This figure peaked at around 24% in mid-December. During the week of December 28th, hospital admissions for the flu were more than double those for COVID-19 and RSV combined.
Three young children, aged five to nine, succumbed to influenza complications in the first half of December. Ottawa Public Health emphasizes the importance of vaccination and encourages ongoing preventive measures such as hand hygiene, surface cleaning, and mask-wearing to mitigate further transmission.
