Public Health Alerts

Medetomidine in the unregulated opioid supply

To: Ottawa Physicians and Nurse Practitioners  
Date: April 9, 2026          
From: Dr. Michelle Foote, Associate Medical Officer of Health
Subject: Medetomidine in the unregulated opioid supply

Dear Colleagues,

The Ontario Poison Centre has developed a clinical brief regarding medetomidine as an emerging adulterant in the unregulated opioid supply: Medetomidine in the Unregulated Opioid Supply: A Clinical Brief for Ontario Health Care Providers.

Medetomidine (meh-deh-TOH-mih-deen) is a veterinary sedative that...

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Chikungunya Live Attenuated Vaccine – Reporting Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI)

To: Ottawa Physicians and Nurse Practitioners  
Date: April 8, 2026          
From: Dr. Laura Bourns, Deputy Medical Officer of Health
Subject: Chikungunya Live Attenuated Vaccine – Reporting Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFI)

Dear Colleagues,

This Public Health Alert is to communicate the importance of timely reporting of suspected adverse events following immunization (AEFI) related to the chikungunya live attenuated vaccine (CHIK‑LAV); the product’s trade name is IXCHIQ. 

Recent international...

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RSV Vaccine Program Updates - March 2026

To: Ottawa Physicians and Nurse Practitioners  
Date: March 26, 2026          
From: Dr. Laura Bourns, Deputy Medical Officer of Health
Subject: RSV Vaccine Program Updates

Dear Colleagues,

This Public Health Alert is to provide you with updates on Ontario’s RSV prevention program.

Ontario’s Infant and High-Risk Children RSV Prevention Program is extending into April

Current epidemiological data (percent positivity and hospitalization) indicate that community transmission of RSV is still ongoing.

• RSV mAb...

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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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