Note : The Influenza Bulletin provides information based on the surveillance period from August 16 to August 22, 2009. Case counts from the previous week are submitted to the ministry by public health units every Tuesday. Data on hospitalizations and deaths is submitted daily and therefore is accurate as of August 26th.

For the surveillance period of August 16 to August 22, 2009 :

• Overall, influenza activity in Ontario was similar compared the previous week.
• However, the rate of influenza-like illness (ILI) in patients seen by sentinel physicians is above what is expected for this time of year, particularly for those less than 19 years of age.
• More patients reporting influenza-like symptoms consulted sentinel physicians this week than the previous week.
• The majority of health units continue to report sporadic activity. Only one health unit reported localized activity.
• There are 4,053 confirmed cases of H1N1 flu virus reported through the integrated Public Health System (iPHIS) as of August 22, 2009.

As of August 26 :

• 23 deaths have been reported among confirmed H1N1 cases.
• 25 people who have the H1N1 flu virus were in hospital as of 8:30 a.m. on August 26, a number of whom have underlying medical conditions. 335 other people have been hospitalized and have since been discharged.
• A fewer number of hospitalized cases were reported this week compared to last week. One new death among cases was reported this week.

For additional information, please see this week’s flu bulletin.

Maps breaking down flu statistics by health unit are available below for :

• Novel H1N1 Influenza A Virus Rates
• Ontario Influenza Activity