Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health says that earlier this year it inadvertently made available on its website personal information about a number of people who tested positive for influenza.
The information that was accessible was connected mostly to individuals who tested positive for influenza between Jan. 2, 2011 and Jan. 3, 2020.
Names were not compromised, but other personal information, such as addresses and specifics about the cases were.
In a notice posted on its website Tuesday, Public Health said that the private information was seen by "fewer than 100" visitors to the board's website between January and May of this year. The information was contained on a dashboard regarding influenza in the community.
Anyone with concerns that they may have been affected by the privacy breach can contact Public Health.
"Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health is informing community members of a recent breach of privacy that affected an information dashboard that was used to display information about influenza cases in our community," said the post on Public Health's website.
"The dashboard contained information on individuals 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. Fewer than 100 people accessed the dashboard while it was posted and therefore the risk that any personal information of personal health information was accessed is very low."
The incident was reported to the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario. Those affected by the breach can file a complaint with the commission if they choose.
Public Health says it has taken steps to ensure that similar events will not occur in the future.
