Health Unit Monitors Rise In Seasonal Illnesses

The local Health Unit is monitoring a rise in seasonal illnesses. To help ensure residents remain aware and stay safe, the WECHU is introducing a new wastewater monitoring tool.

Wastewater Surveillance is a process which tests water collected through local sewers for the presence of viruses and allows healthcare providers and community organizations to gain a better sense of the direction in which certain illnesses are spreading throughout a region. For the health unit, wastewater data was invaluable throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and now these data can be found on the WECHU website alongside influenza and Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) data.

Currently, this new data source shows these viruses continue to circulate past the holiday season with increasing strength into the new year. With wastewater signals across all three monitored viruses showing increases this month, the health unit continues to recommend that individuals stay protected through vaccination and prevention (for example hand washing, masking, and physical distancing), which help to slow the spread and reduce the effect of illness on our most vulnerable populations.

According to the WECHU Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Mehdi Aloosh if you are waiting for the right moment to speak with your healthcare provider about how to protect yourself through vaccination, the time is now, “It is not too late for you, your family members, and friends to seek out vaccinations to protect against Influenza, COVID-19, and RSV. Our data is showing that these illnesses have been circulating through the region at a high rate over the past several weeks, and we have learned together over the past several years how harmful they can be for many in our community.”

With this information being available on the WECHU website it is anticipated that community healthcare providers, hospitals, congregate living facilities, and other key partners supporting high risk populations use it to plan operations, increase awareness, and improve precautions as needed.