Elgin-Oxford measles cases surge for second straight week
A London-area public health office at the epicentre of a provincewide measles outbreak is reporting its largest weekly surge in cases of the highly infectious disease since it began recording weekly statistics.
Southwestern Public Health, the health unit that oversees Oxford and Elgin Counties and St. Thomas, is reporting 65 news measles cases since April 24 as of Thursday. The 65 cases is the largest seven-day increase since the health unit's epidemiology team began tracking weekly case counts on Feb. 27, health officials said. As of Feb. 27, the health unit had recorded 85 measles cases dating back to October 2024 when the outbreak began.
During a virtual news conference on Thursday, Ninh Tran, medical officer for Southwestern Public Health, said the past week's measles case count was 'certainly a noticeable rise,' and attributed the cases to a cluster of unvaccinated individuals.
'This sharp rise in cases may be concerning to the community,' Tran said. 'However, the majority of these cases are part of a group of cases we are investigating that are linked to one another.'
Tran continued: 'This is good example of how quickly measles can spread in groups where there are unvaccinated individuals. It is not uncommon to have increased number of cases reported after exposures in large households between siblings and other family members.'
The increase in measles cases marks the second straight week the disease has spiked after a drop in cases. The health unit had recorded its lowest seven-day count with 15 cases between April 10 and April 17, followed by 28 cases between April 17 and April 24.
Southwestern Public Health has updated its recorded measles case count from seven to 15 cases between April 10 and April 17. However, 15 cases remains the lowest seven-day case count since the health unit began tracking weekly figures in February.
Thursday's report brings the total measles cases recorded by Southwestern Public Health to 451, accounting for about 35 per cent of the province's 1,243 cases Public Health Ontario was reporting as of April 29.
There's a slight discrepancy between Public Health Ontario and Southwestern Public Health because the provincial agency records its data a day earlier.
Southwestern Public Health's rate of cases per 100,000 people is 181 while the overall rate in Ontario is 7.9 cases per 100,000 people, Public Health Ontario said in its updated epidemiological report released on Thursday.
The province's numbers jumped by 223 cases between April 23 and April 29, Public Health Ontario said in its report.
'The increase in the number of outbreak cases and the geographic spread in recent weeks is due to continued exposures and transmission among individuals who have not been immunized,' the report said.
Southwestern, Grand Erie (Brant, Norfolk and Haldimand), Huron Perth and Chatham-Kent account for 71 per cent of Ontario's cases.
As of Thursday, Middlesex-London Health Unit has reported 28 cases, officials from the public health office stated, noting most of the cases were 'clusters among unvaccinated individuals.'
Tran said about 7.8 per cent of the cases reported by Southwest Public Health have resulted in hospitalization.
'I do want to highlight that measles can result in complications . . . including hospitalizations,' Tran said.
Measles symptoms include a red rash, fever, cough, runny nose, upper respiratory symptoms, red eyes and fatigue. Serious complications such as pneumonia, encephalitis, blindness and death are possible.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Palace Aide Issues King Charles Cancer Update, Says He's Trying to Keep Life "As Normal as Possible"
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. There haven't been many updates on King Charles's health since he was diagnosed with cancer in February 2024, but a senior royal aide has spoken out after The King and Queen Camilla visited Canada this week. "The thing you learn about this illness is that you just manage it," the palace staffer said, via Hello! "And that's what he does. Medical science has made incredible advances and I genuinely see no difference in him." The aide continued, "As long as you just do what the doctors say, just live your life as normal as possible and that's exactly what he is doing." The King—who has not revealed the exact type of cancer he has—receives regular outpatient treatments at The London Clinic. "It's no secret that he is still having treatment but because he is incredibly fit, he is just dealing with it all incredibly well," the royal aide said. "As everybody knows he is driven by duty, so he just gets on with it." Indeed, The King is so "driven by duty" that no one can get him to slow down other than Queen Camilla. Per his aide, staffers have been "planning the programme as usual, trying to lighten it a little bit" following Their Majesties' tiring trip to Canada. However, the hardworking monarch doesn't seem to be keen on reducing his schedule, with the staffer noting his team has not had "much success" in that matter. In April, a senior aide to The King said, per The Sun, "We've all tried!" when asked about getting the monarch to relax on his duties. The employee added, "But as people will have seen, The King enjoys his work." Even after he was briefly hospitalized due to side effects from cancer treatment this spring, King Charles was back to duties as usual and traveled to Rome with Queen Camilla for an official state visit. The Queen agreed that her husband "loves his work and it keeps him going." She added, "And I think it's wonderful, you know, if you've been ill and you are recovering, you're getting better and now he wants to do more and more and more. That's the problem."
Yahoo
4 hours ago
- Yahoo
Gut bacteria changes could be ‘warning sign for worsening Parkinson's symptoms'
Changes in specific bacteria in the mouth and gut of patients with Parkinson's disease could potentially be an early warning sign that symptoms of the condition are getting worse, a study suggests. With the help of artificial intelligence (AI), scientists have linked these shifts to cognitive decline – problems with memory and learning – in people with the disease. They suggest the toxins could one day be used as 'markers' for medics to pinpoint the Parkinson's patients at a higher risk of dementia, as well as being used to help develop targeted treatments for the disease. Parkinson's disease is a progressive condition that affects the brain, with symptoms including involuntary shaking, known as tremors, as well as psychological problems such as depression, loss of balance, trouble sleeping and memory issues. According to the Alzheimer's Society, around a third of people with Parkinson's eventually develop dementia. Dr Saeed Shoaie, group leader of the quantitative systems biology (QTS) lab at King's College London, said: 'The human gut and oral bacterial communities are increasingly linked to neurodegenerative diseases. 'Disruptions in the gut-brain axis could trigger inflammation and immune responses that contribute to neuronal damage. 'A common gum disease bacterium like porphyromonas gingivalis has been discovered as a potential driver of Alzheimer's.' For the study, led by experts at King's College London and published in the journal Gut Microbes, scientists analysed 228 spit and stool samples. The samples came from 41 patients with Parkinson's and mild cognitive impairment, which causes problems with thinking and memory, 47 patients with Parkinson's and dementia and 26 healthy patients. The team found that the gut of people with mild cognitive impairment contained more harmful bacteria, many of which are likely to have come from the mouth. This bacteria releases toxins that can damage gut tissue, promote inflammation and potentially affect the brain, according to researchers. For a more in-depth analysis, the team used AI to pinpoint the bacterial species and functions not usually picked up by traditional testing, allowing them to link toxins specifically to cognitive decline. Dr Shoaie added: 'The emerging evidence underscores the potential importance of maintaining oral and gut health in mitigating or slowing neurodegenerative processes. 'As people with Parkinson's become increasingly reliant on carers, routine practices such as oral hygiene and nutritional intake may be neglected. 'Our findings suggest that promoting a healthy microbiome through consistent oral care, a balanced diet and potentially targeted probiotic interventions could support improved disease management in Parkinson's.' Dr Frederick Clasen, research associate at the QTS lab, said: 'We don't yet know if the bacteria are causing the cognitive decline or if changes in the body due to Parkinson's allow these bacteria to grow. 'But our findings suggest they may play an active role in worsening symptoms.' Dr Clasen suggests these markers could one day be used to develop targeted treatments. 'These toxins could be used as biological markers to identify patients at higher risk of dementia in Parkinson's,' he said. 'In the future, they might also be targets for new treatments that protect the brain by changing the gut environment.'
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
Women on blockbuster weight loss drugs warned to use effective contraception
Pregnant women should not take weight loss drugs, the UK's medicines regulator warned amid concerns that people are using the so-called 'skinny jabs' in unsafe ways. The UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) also said women should not take weight loss drugs if they are breastfeeding or trying to get pregnant, because there isn't enough safety data to know whether the medicine could affect their baby. 'Anyone who gets pregnant while using them should speak to their healthcare professional and stop the medicine as soon as possible,' the agency said. Meanwhile, all women taking the jabs should ensure they are using a form of contraception that works, the MHRA said. Related Weight-loss drugs like Wegovy could help serious liver condition that has no cure-all treatment One of the drugs, Mounjaro, may make birth control pills less effective, so the agency says women taking the jab should also use a non-oral form of contraception, like an implant or intrauterine device (IUD). 'Obesity reduces fertility in women. So, women with obesity taking GLP-1 drugs are more likely to get pregnant than before they lost weight,' Dr Channa Jayasena, a reproductive endocrinology researcher at Imperial College London, said in a statement. 'Women are advised to do all they can to prevent pregnancy while taking [these] drugs,' Jayasena added. Related France won't pay for weight loss drug Wegovy. What about other European countries? In the UK, women already receive these warnings when they get their prescriptions for the blockbuster jabs, which include Ozempic, Wegovy, Saxenda, and Victoza as well as Mounjaro. The drugs, known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, work by mimicking hormones that help regulate appetites and make people feel full for longer. They have been approved to treat type 2 diabetes and obesity. Related Why are 1 in 10 French women still smoking during pregnancy despite the health risks? But the MHRA issued the reminder Thursday due to concerns that the drugs' growing popularity means women are buying them illegally online or at beauty salons, without seeing a doctor. 'Skinny jabs are medicines licensed to treat specific medical conditions and should not be used as aesthetic or cosmetic treatments,' Dr Alison Cave, MHRA's chief safety officer, said in a statement. 'They are not a quick fix to lose weight and have not been assessed to be safe when used in this way,' she added.
