Public Health Alerts

Confirmed case of measles in Ottawa February 2026

To: Ottawa Physicians and Nurse Practitioners  
Date: February 23, 2026          
From: Dr. Michelle Foote, Associate Medical Officer of Health
Subject: Confirmed case of measles in Ottawa

Dear Colleagues,

Ottawa Public Health (OPH) has recently confirmed measles infection in an Ottawa resident and is investigating a potential infection in a related individual. At this time, acquisition is thought to be related to ongoing transmission in other regions of Canada. Currently, there is no evidence of transmission...

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Next steps in annual assessment of student immunization records

To: Ottawa Physicians and Nurse Practitioners  
Date: February 2, 2026          
From: Dr. Laura Bourns, Deputy Medical Officer of Health
Subject: Next steps in annual assessment of student immunization records

Dear Colleagues,

Late October, Ottawa Public Health (OPH) shared with you that we had begun our annual process of assessing students’ immunization records for compliance with the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA) targeting students born in 2008 and 2018 (7- and 17-year olds).

All students with...

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Changes to Stool Testing at Public Health Ontario Laboratory

To: Ottawa Physicians and Nurse Practitioners  
Date: January 5, 2026          
From: Dr. Michelle Foote, Associate Medical Officer of Health
Subject: Changes to Stool Testing at Public Health Ontario Laboratory

Dear Colleagues,

The following information has been summarized from an email (only available in English) from Public Health Ontario (PHO).  

On December 15, 2025, PHO implemented a molecular detection assay (PCR) to replace microscopy for detecting enteric protozoa in stool specimens. The new PCR panel...

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Early influenza season and severe impacts on children

To: Ottawa Physicians and Nurse Practitioners
Date: December 15, 2025
From:  Dr. Trevor Arnason, Medical Officer of Health
Subject: Early influenza season and severe impacts on children

Dear Colleagues,

The Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) is reporting an early and intense start to flu season leading to unprecedented volumes in the Emergency Department and a higher-than-usual number of flu cases and complications for this time of year. In the first two weeks of December, three children...

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Start of Influenza Season Declared in Ottawa 2025-2026

To: Ottawa Physicians and Nurse Practitioners  
Date: December 4, 2025
From: Dr. Laura Bourns, Deputy Medical Officer of Health  
Subject: Start of Influenza Season Declared in Ottawa

Dear Colleagues:

Ottawa Public Health (OPH) is now declaring the start of the 2025-2026 influenza season in Ottawa.

For the week ending November 29, the percent of respiratory lab specimens positive for influenza was 20.5.%. The week prior, the percent of respiratory lab specimens positive for influenza was 8.6%. Influenza...

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