News

Confirmed case of measles in Ottawa

To: Ottawa Physicians and Nurse Practitioners 
Date: August 14, 2025
From: Dr. Michelle Foote, Associate Medical Officer of Health
Subject: Confirmed case of measles in Ottawa

Dear Colleagues,

A case of measles has been reported to Ottawa Public Health with potential exposures to the virus for others in the community.  Secondary cases from these exposures could occur any time until 21 days following each exposure.

OPH is following up individually with all identified contacts and has issued a Public Service...

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West Nile virus confirmed in Ottawa area mosquitoes 2025

To: Ottawa Physicians and Nurse Practitioners 
Date: August 12, 2025
From: Dr. Monir Taha, Associate Medical Officer of Health
Subject: West Nile virus confirmed in Ottawa area mosquitoes

Dear Colleagues,

Ottawa Public Health (OPH) is writing to heighten your awareness of the possibility of illness from West Nile virus (WNV) infection in Ottawa. OPH has received the first positive results for WNV from Ottawa area mosquito traps for the 2025 season.

The main vectors of WNV, Culex pipiens mosquitoes,...

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Syphilis testing update and screening recommendations

To: Ottawa Physicians and Nurse Practitioners
Date: July 29, 2025
From: Dr. Michelle Foote, Associate Medical Officer of Health
Subject: Syphilis testing update and screening recommendations

Public Health Ontario Laboratory (PHOL) has updated its testing approach for syphilis lesion specimens. This alert provides an overview of the new testing protocol, current epidemiologic trends, and screening recommendations.

Changes to syphilis testing for lesion specimens

Effective July 7, 2025, PHOL has...

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Pentacel Vaccine: Important Reminders

To: Ottawa Physicians and Nurse Practitioners  
Date: July 16, 2025
From: Dr. Laura Bourns, Deputy Medical Officer of Health
Subject: Pentacel Vaccine: Important Reminders

Dear Colleagues,

Since the program transition for DTaP-IPV-Hib vaccination from Pediacel® to Pentacel® in July 2024, the manufacturer, Sanofi, has received pharmacovigilance reports of mixing errors with Pentacel®. To address this, Sanofi has developed a resource for health care providers and pharmacies to review

Memo from Sanofi: 

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Vector-borne disease testing changes at PHOL

To: Ottawa Physicians and Nurse Practitioners  
Date: July 10, 2025
From: Dr. Monir Taha, Associate Medical Officer of Health
Subject: Vector-borne disease testing changes at PHOL

Dear Colleagues,

Public Health Ontario Laboratory (PHOL) has recently updated its testing protocols for vector-borne disease testing. Please see an overview of the changes below. All links provide information in English only.

New PHOL Algorithm: Anaplasma PCR Replacing Single Serology Test Requests

PHOL has replaced single serology...

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