Which organization would most likely report and track a national epidemic of viral infection?

The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) is the organization most likely to report and track a national epidemic of viral infection. PHAC is responsible for public health in Canada, which includes monitoring and responding to health threats such as infectious disease outbreaks. They conduct surveillance, provide information to the public and health professionals, and coordinate responses to public health emergencies, making them the primary agency for tracking and reporting on national epidemics.

Other organizations, while involved in health information and statistics, do not focus specifically on epidemic tracking. For example, the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) primarily analyzes health data to help inform health policy and planning, but does not conduct epidemiological surveillance. Canada Health Infoway (Infoway) works on the advancement of digital health solutions but is not directly involved in epidemic tracking. Statistics Canada collects and analyzes demographic data and a range of health statistics but does not focus specifically on reporting infectious disease epidemics. Thus, PHAC’s dedicated role in public health safety and its specific mandate to handle epidemiological data make it the most appropriate choice for this scenario.