KITCHENER -- Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health says there was a recent privacy breach on its website involving information about influenza cases in the community.
An information dashboard was published on public health's website from January to May 2020.
WDG Public Health says the dashboard had information about people with lab-confirmed cases of Influenza A and B.
"At no time were the names of clients exposed, however, it was possible to view certain kinds of personal information and personal health information such as the address of a case, specifics about the strain of Influenza and information about their symptoms," an update on WDG Public Health's website says in part.
Fewer than 100 people accessed the dashboard, public health says.
The incident has been reported to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. Anyone who thinks they were affected by the breach should contact the commissioner.
Most of the people affected by the breach tested positive for influenza between Jan. 2, 2011 and Jan. 3, 2020.
"Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health regrets this incident and has taken steps to ensure that similar events will not occur in the future," public health says. "These steps include a full investigation of the incident, working with the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario and reinforcing internal processes around privacy."
Anyone concerned about the breach can contact WDG Public Health.
