Health officials are urging people to get the flu shot and wash their hands often as a flu outbreak grips Eastern Ontario. The rate of flu in the area covered by the Renfrew County and District Health Unit is rated as “elevated”. According to an online mapping tool that uses real-time data from Ontario hospitals to track infectious diseases, 19 percent of all visits to hospital ER’s in Renfrew County currently are for influenza-like symptoms. Flu has been on an upward trend for the past two weeks and it’s expected to persist for a few more weeks. The trend is consistent with what is happening in neighbouring counties like Leeds, Grenville and Lanark. The most prevalent illnesses that ERs are seeing are pneumonia, whooping cough, rhinovirus and respiratory synctial virus. Hospital admissions for pneumonia in particular have skyrocketed.
