Major jump in influenza cases last year says ROW Public Health

The Region of Waterloo Public Health is sharing data that points to a significant increase in influenza cases year-over-year.

In the Fall & Winter Seasonal Illness Report coming before Region of Waterloo councillors on Tuesday, the data shows a significant increase in the number of influenza cases last year, compared to the previous respiratory illness season.

From the 2023/2024 season to the 2024/2025 season, there was an 82.9 per cent increase in confirmed cases of the flu, shooting up from 735 cases two years ago to 1,344 cases last season.

The health agency said that two people died from influenza-related complications in Waterloo Region last year.

The report notes, this was a trend seen across the province as well.

The data also shows that COVID-19-related deaths decreased year-over-year from 34 to 11.

Influenza and COVID vaccines were made available for the general public as of Oct. 27 for the current respiratory illness season.

When it comes to other illnesses, there were 201 respiratory outbreaks and 137 gastrointestinal outbreaks in Waterloo Region last year.

Those gastrointestinal outbreaks were especially concerning with an increase of 38.4 per cent, primarily in long-term care and retirement home settings, another trend seen province-wide.

The full report can be read here.

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