Prompted by a spike in the reported cases of stomach flu, Ottawa’s medical officer of health is advising residents to wash their hands routinely and thoroughly and to stay home when sick.
It is not usual to see spikes in the number of reported outbreaks of gastroenteritis every two or three years, said Dr. Isra Levy.
So far this year, there have been more than 250 reported cases and Levy said there was much more activity that goes unreported. “We’ve already got 23 measured outbreaks on gastroenteritis in the schools this year. That’s a lot. We’re concerned about it and we’re just reminding people that there are things you can do about it.”
