The Windsor-Essex County Health Unit (WECHU) has expanded on an online tool to help residents stay aware of the respiratory illnesses that come with winter.
As winter illness remains an issue in the region. the health unit has launched an upgraded wastewater monitoring tool.
The health unit uses wastewater from area sewers to screen for potential viruses. This information is used to help health officials to determine how certain illnesses are moving through the community.
Wastewater surveillance began during the COVID-19 pandemic, but the tool now includes data tracking RSV, influenza, and other illnesses.
The current trends show that respiratory illnesses have picked up momentum in Windsor-Essex since the holiday season. But Medical Officer of Health Dr. Mehdi Aloosh said that it's not too late to consider vaccination.
"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," said Aloosh.
As of Thursday evening, the wastewater monitor had identified 11 total outbreaks, five of them respiratory, and the others enteric, or pertaining to the digestive system.
The wastewater data in the monitoring tool is updated each Thursday by 4:30 p.m.
The tool can be accessed on the health unit's official website.
