Ottawa’s top doctor says the death of three children in the region over the past two weeks from influenza-related complications is unusual and could signify a difficult flu season ahead.
Ottawa and Eastern Ontario Health Unit medical officers of health said on Monday the children were between the ages of five and nine — two in Ottawa and one in eastern Ontario.
Ottawa’s medical officer of health Dr. Trevor Arnason said a coroner contacted his office after investigating the deaths of the kids, who all tested positive for influenza.
It’s not common for the coroner to do this, but the Ottawa top doctor said they felt this was important public health information to share.
“It is unusual to see this number in such a short period of time and also this early in the in the flu season,” Arnason said, speaking about deaths, which all occurred this month.
The last time children in the Ottawa area died of influenza was in 2022, he said.
The Public Health Agency of Canada said fewer than five pediatric influenza-associated deaths have been reported this season across the country.
There has been a “rapid and significant” rise of Influenza A across Ontario, according to the local public health units, with much of the flu season still ahead.
Representatives at CHEO told the Canadian Press Monday that flu hospitalizations doubled to 23 the week of Dec. 3 to 10. Three hundred people tested positive for the flu within the first 10 days of December.
The dominant strain circulating right now, called H3N2, has mutated since the flu vaccine was developed several months ago.
It has also led to a rapid rise of infections in other countries including England, where the National Health Service described how the number of flu patients flooding hospitals has turned into a “worst-case scenario.”
The Ottawa and Eastern Ontario regional public health statement said the recent deaths are a “stark reminder” that the flu can lead to severe illness and that the flu shot is especially important for children, parents and caregivers.
So far, Arnason said this season’s flu appears to be spreading more easily and causing more serious complications in younger children.
Ontario Medical Association president Dr. Zainab Abdurrahman said children passing away this early in the flu season is “unprecedented” as older populations are usually the ones who face complications.
Public Health Ontario’s latest data shows cases of the flu took a “dramatic swing” at the beginning of December, Abdurrahman said, which is being seen across the province.
She says it is “really alarming” and “quite scary.”
Abdurrahman said the province’s test positivity rate is higher than the national rate of 20 per cent for the week ending Dec. 6, which was up from 13 per cent the week before.
The Public Health Agency of Canada’s weekly surveillance report says 37 people have died from influenza complications since August.
Officials are strongly urging those six months and older to get vaccinated before the holidays, as it takes about two weeks for protection against the flu to fully develop.
PHAC’s latest respiratory surveillance report says there have been 180 pediatric influenza-associated hospitalizations and 24 intensive care admissions since August.
A spokesperson for Ontario’s ministry of health said the province has sufficient supply of flu shots.
“We want to ensure families, no matter where they live have the tools and resources they need to protect themselves and their loved ones,” spokesperson Ema Popovic said in an email Monday.
“Our hearts go out to the family and loved ones impacted by these tragic deaths.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 15, 2025.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
