Health officials across Canada are urging parents to care for children with mild flu symptoms at home and avoid large gatherings as influenza cases spike ahead of the holidays, pushing hospital emergency departments beyond capacity.
In Ontario, confirmed flu cases rose 150 per cent last week, with hospital admissions up 84 per cent. The province has also reported three child deaths in the past two weeks due to influenza complications. Similar increases are being seen nationwide.
Anthony Dale, president and CEO of the Ontario Hospital Association, said Influenza A positivity is higher than in any of the past three seasons. “This is a very unpredictable situation,” he said, urging people to get vaccinated as soon as possible.
Emergency departments at children’s hospitals in Quebec and Ontario are reporting heavy volumes. Montreal Children’s Hospital and CHU Sainte-Justine say about 40 per cent of visits are for minor illnesses and are asking families to stay home unless symptoms are severe. At Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children, emergency visits have risen 50 per cent over the past two weeks.
Doctors say parents should seek urgent care if a child is under three months with a fever, has trouble breathing, is unusually drowsy or confused, cannot keep fluids down, shows signs of dehydration, or has a change in skin colour. Otherwise, most children with fever, cough, aches, fatigue, sore throat or runny nose can be treated at home with rest, fluids and fever-reducing medication.
Flu symptoms are viral and do not require antibiotics. Over-the-counter cough and flu medicines should not be given to children under six unless advised by a health provider.
The Public Health Agency of Canada says people are contagious from one day before symptoms start to about five days after, with peak infectiousness around day three. Officials recommend staying home for at least three to five days and avoiding gatherings during that period.
Ontario Medical Association president Dr. Zainab Abdurrahman called the recent child deaths alarming and said boosting vaccination rates and basic precautions — staying home when sick, masking in crowded spaces, and handwashing — could still curb the spread.
Some holiday events have already been postponed in parts of the Prairies, and the Northwest Territories has advised anyone with symptoms to stay home to protect vulnerable people.
Health officials stress it is not too late to get a flu shot, noting the season typically lasts into the spring and vaccination remains the most effective way to reduce severe illness.