‘One of the worst Influenza A seasons in a decade,’ says WECHU’s medical officer of health

A fictitious influenza vaccine.

One of the worst influenza seasons in the past decade has gripped Windsor-Essex, Ont., the region’s top doctor says.

Dr. Mehdi Aloosh, medical officer of health for the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit, says this year’s flu activity ranks among the most severe seen in recent years.

A report on the 2025-2026 respiratory illness season was presented to the health unit board on Thursday, which indicated that influenza hit the region hard, with activity peaking just before the holidays.

The report states that more than 1,200 influenza cases were reported between September 2025 and early May 2026, with Influenza A driving the early surge before Influenza B increased later in the season. This represents a rate of 255 cases per 100,000 population, compared with the provincial rate of 235 cases per 100,000 population.

More hospitalizations

Hospitalizations also climbed, with nearly 250 people admitted due to the virus, where young children under the age of 11 and older adults over the age of 60 accounted for the highest number of reported cases.

Aloosh adds that the health unit distributed more than 83,000 flu vaccine doses to hospitals, long-term care homes, retirement homes, and primary care providers — compared to 79,000 the year prior.

He says the numbers were high for the year.

“We had one of the worst Influenza A seasons in a decade, at least, I can say that,” Aloosh says. “And it was reflected in hospitals’ wait times, ED (emergency department), we all observed that in the last season.”

‘A lot of room to increase vaccinations’

He says vaccines will help keep cases low.

“From the number of cases, I can say that we had a higher case per capita compared to the province. So it talks about a lower vaccination rate in our region,” he says.

Aloosh says at the end of the day, it comes down to increasing vaccinations.

“We have a lot of room to increase vaccinations. My estimation is that the vaccination rate overall of the population in Windsor-Essex is around 25 per cent probably, in the whole population,” he adds.

“So there’s a lot of room to increase the uptake of the vaccine and prevent something like this from happening.”

Looking ahead, the health unit says its 2026-2027 flu campaign will focus on boosting vaccine confidence and reminding residents that getting vaccinated can help prevent severe illness and hospitalizations, particularly for older adults and those at higher risk.