Annual influenza reports

2018-2019 Influenza Season

• During the influenza season, the FluWatch report is based on weekly data. This report is a summary of all of  the data received for the 2018-19 influenza season and a comparison of these data to the previous five seasons.
• The 2018-19 influenza season in Canada was longer than the previous five seasons and was characterized by two waves of influenza A activity and very little influenza B circulation. The national season started in week 43 (October 21-27, 2018), peaked in week 52 (December 23-29, 2018) and ended in week 21 (May 19-25, 2019).
• A(H1N1) was predominant in the earlier part of the season (October to February) followed by a smaller wave of A(H3N2) circulation (March to April). Overall, A(H1N1) was the predominant strain nationally this season.