News

Mpox update

To: Ottawa Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, Travel Clinics, Walk-in Clinics, Emergency Departments and CHCsDate: June 8, 2023From: Dr. Trevor Arnason (Associate Medical Officer of Health), Dr. Laura Bourns (Associate Medical Officer of Health, Acting)

Dear Colleagues:

This Public Health Alert summarizes recent updates to mpox relating to risks, epidemiology, and recommendations for vaccination and testing.

The World Health Organization’s mpox Public Health Emergency of International Concern was...

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COVID-19 Update

On May 5th, the World Health Organization (WHO) ended the global health emergency declaration for COVID-19 and advised it is time to transition to long-term management of the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 continues to be an ongoing health issue, as cases of COVID-19, and hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19 continue to occur.  In addition, long-term potential and chronic effects such as Long COVID (or Post COVID-19 Condition) remain an ongoing health threat. OPH continues to monitor the...

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Pre-Travel Vaccine Options: Measles and more

Since the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions and the ensuing increase in travel, health units are seeing vaccine preventable diseases imported into Canada from all around the world. A single imported case of a disease such as measles has the potential to spawn a local outbreak.There are several vaccine options for your patients that may be travelling.

Although pre-travel vaccines are generally not paid for under routine vaccination programs in Ontario, there are a number of exceptions where your...

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Professional Development & Resources

Free webinar, Lyme Disease: An update for 2023 (French only)

May 31st, 2023, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. ET. University of Ottawa, Faculty of Medicine, Francophone Affairs. Target audience: family physicians, general practitioners and specialists, allied health care professionals. Objectives: discuss clinical presentations of Lyme disease, select the most appropriate investigations, discuss the role of antibiotic therapy in 2023. Speaker: Dr. Alex Carignan, MD, MSc, FRCPC. Registration *offered in French...

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Legionellosis in Ottawa

To: Ottawa Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, Walk-in Clinics, Emergency DepartmentsDate: May 12, 2023From: Dr. Monir Taha and Dr. Michelle Foote, Associate Medical Officers of Health, Ottawa Public Health

Ottawa Public Health (OPH) has received reports of 3 cases of Legionnaires’ disease caused by Legionella pneumophila serogroup 1 with onsets of illness in April 2023. The cases reside in downtown Ottawa. OPH is investigating to determine if there is a common source of the infections. When...

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