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Respiratory Illness Watch

Respiratory illnesses are more common during flu season (September 1 to April 30). The NEPH shares local data on flu and COVID-19 on their website(s) during this time. Find NEPH data in the Ontario Respiratory Virus Tool all year.  Public Health Ontario updates this tool every Friday. 

Last updated Wednesday, June 11, 2025.  Weekly updates will continue October through May.

There are a number of ways to protect yourself from respiratory illnesses:

Some people are more likely to get sick or more severely sick. Find out if you are one of them.

Additional respiratory illness data for Ontario can be found on Public Health Ontario’s Respiratory Virus Tool.  

Methods and sources

This data should be interpreted with caution for the most recent periods due to potential reporting and data cleaning delays. Previously reported data may change as a result.

The "Northeast" refers to the Northeastern Public Health area, which approximately encompasses the Districts of Cochrane and Timiskaming, Temagami, Hornepayne of the Algoma District and the following from the District of Kenora: Marten Falls, and the Attawapiskat and Peawanuck Reserves.

  1. The weekly percentage of respiratory illness-related emergency department visits in the Northeastern Public Health area is compared to the historical seasonal benchmarks from 2011/12 to 2023/24, excluding pandemic years. The activity level is then classified as low, moderate, or high. These levels are based on seasonal averages with a 2 standard deviation buffer. Moderate begins at 10.1%, and high at 14.6% respiratory visits.
    Data is from the Acute Care Enhanced Surveillance Application (ACES) and Viral Respiratory Mapper – ACES ED Visits, which is provided by Kingston, Frontenac, and Lennox & Addington Public Health. Accessed each week at https://www.kflaphi.ca/acute-care-enhanced-surveillance/. Ontario data is missing for the Chatham-Kent, South East and Windsor-Essex Health Units.
  2. Ontario Agency for Health Protection and Promotion (Public Health Ontario). Ontario respiratory virus tool. Toronto, ON. Available at https://www.publichealthontario.ca/en/data-and-analysis/infectious-disease/id-query.
  3. Ministry of Ontario, Capacity Planning and Analytics Division, Visual Analytics Hub – COVID
  4. Integrated Public Health Information System, Northeastern Public Health 

Common respiratory viruses 

The descriptions below are just a general overview. How sick someone gets can be different for each person. Some might only have mild symptoms, while others could get more severe symptoms, and sadly, in some cases, it can even lead to death.

Adenoviruses cause a range of illnesses, including respiratory and gastrointestinal infections. Symptoms may include fever, cough, and sore throat.

Coronaviruses are a family of viruses causing respiratory infections. Some strains, like the common cold coronaviruses, result in mild symptoms. Others, such as those causing SARS and MERS, or COVID-19 can lead to severe respiratory illnesses.

Enteroviruses and rhinoviruses commonly cause mild respiratory and gastrointestinal infections. Rhinoviruses are a frequent cause of the common cold, leading to symptoms like runny nose and congestion.

Human metapneumovirus (HMPV) is a respiratory virus that can cause infections, especially in children and older adults. Symptoms may include cough, fever, and difficulty breathing.

Influenza, commonly known as the flu, is caused by influenza viruses. The flu can result in a range of symptoms, including fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, fatigue, and more.

Parainfluenza viruses cause respiratory infections, such as croup and bronchiolitis, particularly in young children. Symptoms may include cough, fever, and a barking cough in the case of croup.

RSV stands for Respiratory Syncytial Virus. It is a common virus that can cause cold-like symptoms. RSV is a common virus affecting the respiratory tract, causing illnesses like bronchiolitis and pneumonia, especially in infants and young children.

 

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