Flu season hitting GTA early this year
Health officials in the Greater Toronto Area are reporting an earlier-than-usual start to the respiratory illness season, specifically noting an uptick in influenza cases. Doctors are encouraging the public to seek vaccinations as soon as they become available to manage the early surge.
Why it matters
Early flu season trends impact public health policy and resource allocation for hospitals during the winter months.
If you notice a lot of people with the sniffles around town lately despite the double-digit temperatures, you’re not alone. Doctors are warning that respiratory illness season is hitting the Greater Toronto Area a little earlier than usual this year.
“The data does suggest that we may be on a little bit of an early uptick for respiratory viruses, especially the influenza data,” said Dr. Fahad Razak, an internist at St Michael’s Hospital and Canada Research Chair in Healthcare Data and Analytics at the University of Toronto.
“It does take a little while to really know if we’re on that trajectory, but I do think that there is some suggestive features to say that we’ve started a bit early.”
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