Guelph General Hospital declared an Influenza A outbreak on its 5 West inpatient unit on December 17, 2025, following guidance from Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health. The declaration follows two inpatients acquiring influenza while in hospital within a short period, triggering extra safety measures to protect vulnerable patients and staff.
Under the hospital’s Respiratory Outbreak Response Plan, 5 West has been isolated and visitors to the unit are suspended for the length of the outbreak except for compassionate reasons. Patients on 5 West have been placed on appropriate additional precautions; everyone who works on or receives care in the unit is required to wear a mask during the outbreak. Masking stations are available at entrances and high-touch surfaces are receiving enhanced cleaning throughout the day.
Families can arrange virtual visits with patients and are asked to check in with care teams before arriving on site. “Following guidance from Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health, Guelph General Hospital has declared an Influenza A outbreak on the 5 West inpatient unit on December 17, 2025,” the hospital said in an official statement. The hospital also said the safety of patients and staff is its top priority.
The outbreak coincides with global warnings about a mutated H3N2 subclade K strain of influenza surging worldwide. Guelph General saw similar respiratory outbreaks in December 2023 and early 2024, which led to temporary ward closures. In earlier, larger outbreaks (for example March 2020 and December 2021), the hospital also canceled elective surgeries to preserve capacity. Hospital leaders say they are monitoring the situation closely and have contingency plans if the virus spreads to other units.
Public health officials remind residents to get vaccinated, practise good hand hygiene and stay home if they feel unwell. Updates on the outbreak status and visitor policies are available on the Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health website.
