Last year, hospitalizations for seasonal influenza returned to pre-pandemic volumes for youngest Canadians
—The data confirms the anecdotal evidence from across the country last year: in 2022–2023, Canada’s hospitals saw a significant increase in stays due to respiratory illnesses among people younger than 18. In particular, data from the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) shows a rebound in hospitalizations for seasonal flu among children age 0 to 4 — the number of stays jumped to 2,444, a return to pre-pandemic volumes. The most common respiratory illnesses among children age 0 to 4 accounted for 32% of all hospitalizations in this group, increasing from 20% the previous year.
In addition to seasonal influenza, hospitalizations for pneumonia tripled for Canadians age 0 to 17 and almost doubled for asthma. Among children age 0 to 4, hospitalizations doubled for lower respiratory infections, and stays for COVID-19 rose by 43%.
“Having a baby or young child in hospital for any reason is tremendously difficult on families, and this increase in hospitalizations for respiratory illnesses among Canada’s youngest patients presented additional challenges for hospitals,” said Juliana Wu, Director, Acute and Ambulatory Care Information Services, CIHI. “We will continue to monitor and report on these trends to equip health system planners and decision-makers with the data required to continue to meet the needs of Canada’s pediatric population.”
“Last year was unprecedented for all pediatric hospitals in this country and highlighted key gaps in our system. We know from experience that viral seasons will continue to affect our young patients, and this is why it is so important that we invest in our pediatric health system and adopt public health measures to help reduce the risks,” said Dr. Lindy Samson, Chief of Staff and Chief Medical Officer, Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO), and pediatric infectious disease specialist.
Quick facts
- The respiratory illnesses that are in the top 10 reasons for hospitalizations accounted for 32% of all hospitalizations for Canadians age 0 to 4 in 2022–2023.
- Hospitalizations for seasonal influenza among children age 0 to 4 increased to 2,444 in 2022–2023, similar to 2019–2020 volumes.
- Large increases were also observed in this age group for other respiratory illnesses:
- Hospital stays for lower respiratory infections such as acute bronchitis increased from 9,501 to 19,909.
- Hospitalizations for pneumonia almost tripled, rising from 3,447 to 9,871.
- Asthma hospital stays increased by 61%, from 3,474 to 5,607.
- COVID-19 accounted for 3,310 hospitalizations, up 43% from the previous year.
- Acute upper respiratory infections saw a 32% increase in hospitalizations, going from 2,114 to 2,797.
About CIHI
The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) is an independent, not-for-profit organization dedicated to providing essential health information to all Canadians. CIHI works closely with federal, provincial and territorial partners and stakeholders throughout Canada to gather, package and disseminate information to inform policy, management, care and research, leading to better and more equitable health outcomes for all Canadians.
Health information has become one of society’s most valuable public goods. For more than 25 years, CIHI has set the pace on data privacy, security, accessibility and innovation to improve Canada’s health systems.
CIHI: Better data. Better decisions. Healthier Canadians.
Media contacts
For English and French inquiries:
Meagan Foreman
media@cihi.ca
media@icis.ca