News

Immunization Updates

Key Messages:

• HPV9 (Gardasil®9) vaccine now publicly-funded for immunization of Grade 7 students, and men who have sex with men.
• There is a new process for obtaining non-medical exemptions for immunization required for school attendance.
• Upcoming school immunization assessment and suspension dates are provided below.
• Universal Influenza Immunization Program (UIIP) update
• DTaP-IPV (Quadracel® and Infanrix®-IPV) are being replaced with DTaP-IPV-Hib (Pediacel®)

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Lyme Disease Post Exposure Prophylaxis

Lyme disease ­– The prevalence in Ottawa of Borrelia burgdorferi (the agent of Lyme disease) in local Ixodes scapularis (the blacklegged tick vector) is now high enough that Ottawa Public Health (OPH) is recommending post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) under select circumstances.

In preparation for the 2017 tick season, OPH has revised its information for physicians [Lyme disease prophylaxis: New recommendations for Ottawa PDF]; information related to PEP is summarized in this update.  OPH has also...

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New Rabies Exposure Guidance Document

Key Points

• Public Health Ontario has released a guidance document for managing suspected rabies exposure
• Although rare, human cases of rabies occur in Canada
• Racoons, skunks, and bats continue to have high rates of infection

With the successes of human rabies pre- and post-exposure prophylaxis, domestic animal vaccination, and wild animal rabies control, human rabies is rare in Canada with 4 cases since the year 2000. Ontario had a case of human rabies in 2012 that was associated with international...

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Mumps update Spring 2017

Adults born between 1970 and 1992 may have only received one dose of MMR vaccine and may still be susceptible to mumps.

All suspected or confirmed cases of mumps must be reported to Ottawa Public Health (OPH) by telephone at 613-580-6744, ext 24224, Monday to Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. or through 3-1-1 outside of these regular business hours.

A 27 year old male university student is seen at a walk-in clinic with a 2-day history of fever and unilateral painful swelling just below his...

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New! Expansion of the HPV program to include gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men

1. Gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men are at high risk of anal and other cancers caused by HPV
2. Publicly-funded HPV4 (Gardasil®) vaccine is now available for Ontario residents who identify as gay, bisexual or other men who have sex with men, and trans individuals, who are 26 or younger
3. You can order this vaccine directly from Ottawa Public Health to administer to eligible patients in your office

HPV infection is highly prevalent among gay, bisexual or other men who have sex with men,...

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