December 2025

An influenza infection brings with it an increased risk of heart attack and stroke, data published in the Journal of the American Heart Association says.

The rate of flu hospitalization in Canada has nearly doubled compared to the previous week of available data, with infections now up almost 30 per cent, Health Canada data shows.

For the week ending Dec. 13, Canada saw 11,646 new cases of the flu being detected, which means 27.7 per cent of all the tests conducted in the country came out positive.

The Ontario Hospital Association issued a statement Tuesday, saying there was an alarming increase in cases, which have now hit a three-year high.

Ontario hospitals saw a 127 per cent spike in intensive care unit admissions stemming from influenza in just a week, the Ontario Hospital Association says.

Three children in Ontario have died from influenza A-related complications since the start of December, health officials said Monday.

In the first week of December, there was a 70 per cent jump in the number of lab-confirmed influenza cases in Alberta, along with 300 more hospitalizations and six more deaths.