Posted on Wednesday, April 08, 2026 12:57 PM
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...
Posted on Thursday, March 26, 2026 02:02 PM
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.
Posted on Monday, February 23, 2026 04:09 PM
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...
Posted on Monday, February 02, 2026 11:51 AM
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...
Posted on Monday, January 05, 2026 03:34 PM
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...