Article – Cold and flu season hits Canada with familiar intensity each year, yet our collective approach to illness prevention still shows surprising gaps. At the Fraser Valley Community Health Centre last Thursday, I watched as Maria Chen, a 42-year-old teacher, demonstrated proper handwashing technique to her twin 6-year-olds – a twenty-second ritual involving soap suds up to the wrists and between each finger.
“My classroom had half the students out sick last week,” Chen told me, drying her hands on a paper towel. “I’ve become almost obsessive about this routine with my kids. But I wonder why we weren’t all doing this before the pandemic.”
Chen’s question resonates across a country now entering its fourth winter since COVID-19 transformed our relationship with respiratory illness. While mask-wearing has largely disappeared from public spaces, other infection prevention measures have found lasting places in Canadian daily life – albeit unevenly.
“The pandemic created a sort of collective crash course in infection prevention,” says Dr. Sarah Levitt, infectious disease specialist at Toronto General Hospital. “But as with any lesson, retention varies widely. We’re seeing people incorporate some practices permanently while abandoning others entirely.”
Recent data from the Public Health Agency of Canada shows influenza and RSV cases climbing earlier than expected this season, with British Columbia and Ontario reporting significant increases in emergency room visits for respiratory complaints since mid-October.
Walking through Vancouver’s busy Granville Market yesterday, I counted just three masked shoppers among hundreds. Yet at nearly every entrance stood hand sanitizing stations – most visibly used. This selective adoption of prevention measures reflects what experts call “pandemic fatigue mixed with practical adaptation.”
Infectious disease experts point to several evidence-based strategies that Canadians should maintain throughout cold and flu season. Dr. Levitt emphasizes that proper hand hygiene remains paramount – washing with soap and water for at least 20 seconds, especially before eating and after using public transportation or bathrooms.
“Hand sanitizer with at least 60% alcohol content is an effective alternative when soap isn’t available,” she adds, “but it doesn’t remove certain types of germs like Clostridioides difficile or norovirus.”
The Canadian Medical Association continues to recommend masking in crowded indoor settings for vulnerable populations, including the elderly, immunocompromised individuals, and those with chronic respiratory conditions. Yet adoption remains sporadic outside healthcare settings.
When I visited Elder Sarah Wolfleg at the First Nations Health Authority office in Prince George last month, she shared traditional knowledge about illness prevention that predates modern public health by centuries. “Our ancestors understood isolation during illness,” Wolfleg explained. “When someone was sick, they would stay in a separate lodge until well. Our communities survived because we practiced what you now call ‘respiratory etiquette.'”
This ancient wisdom aligns perfectly with contemporary guidance. Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s Chief Public Health Officer, continues to emphasize staying home when sick as perhaps the most important preventive measure. Yet economic pressures make this simple advice difficult for many to follow.
Amita Gill, 38, who works in retail at a mall in Surrey, told me she can’t afford unpaid sick days. “I get exactly three paid sick days per year. After that, staying home means my family doesn’t eat. So I mask up and go in unless I’m literally unable to stand.”
Canada’s patchwork of provincial labor regulations means some workers have better protections than others. British Columbia and Ontario provide five paid sick days annually, while Quebec offers two. Other provinces have no guaranteed paid sick leave at all, creating what public health experts call “structural barriers to infection control.”
Beyond individual behaviors, environmental factors play crucial roles in respiratory illness transmission. Ventilation improvements – once a major focus of pandemic response – have largely stalled in many public and private spaces across Canada.
“We invested billions in plastic barriers that likely did little, while ignoring the fundamental importance of air exchange,” notes Dr. Raymond Zhou, environmental health researcher at the University of British Columbia. “Proper ventilation can reduce airborne transmission by up to 70% in some settings.”
I observed this reality firsthand last week at Vancouver Community College, where windows remained sealed in a packed lecture hall despite unseasonably mild weather. Meanwhile, just two blocks away, the recently renovated public library features a state-of-the-art HVAC system with visible CO2 monitors displaying air quality metrics in real time.
For Canadian families navigating cold and flu season, experts recommend a balanced approach that incorporates multiple layers of protection. The basics remain unchanged: staying current with vaccinations, practicing good hand hygiene, maintaining respiratory etiquette (covering coughs and sneezes), and staying home when ill.
“Think of it like dressing for Canadian winter,” Dr. Levitt suggests. “You don’t just wear a hat and expect to stay warm. You need layers – the hat, gloves, coat, and boots. Infection prevention works the same way.”
For Maria Chen and her twins, these layers have become routine. As I watched them leave the health centre, the children automatically reached for sanitizer at the exit. “My kids don’t remember a world before elbow bumps and hand sanitizer,” Chen reflected. “I hope they’re learning lessons that will keep them healthy long after people stop talking about pandemics.”
As another Canadian winter approaches, these everyday moments of prevention may determine how severely illness spreads through our communities – reminding us that public health ultimately happens in private decisions made millions of times daily across the country.
