News

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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Notifications to parents RE: Immunization of School Pupils Act reporting

To: Ottawa Physicians, Nurse Practitioners, Midwives, Travel Clinics and Walk-in Clinics,and Infection ControlDate: May 11, 2023From: Dr. Trevor Arnason, Associate Medical Officer of Health

Dear Colleagues,

Ottawa is making progress in catching-up routine childhood vaccinations that weremissed during the COVID-19 pandemic owing to the combined efforts of communityphysicians, primary care providers and Ottawa Public Health (OPH). Students attendingschool in Ontario are required to be vaccinated...

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