logo
More potential measles exposure locations in Paris, Ont. and Brantford

More potential measles exposure locations in Paris, Ont. and Brantford

CTV News16-05-2025

The entrance to Brantford General Hospital is seen in a file photo. (CTV Kitchener)
In addition to Thursday's potential exposure locations, Grand Erie Public Health (GEPH) alerted the communities of Brantford and Paris, Ont. to two new locations and one reoccurring location with a possible measles exposure.
On Friday, GEPH added the following locations as areas of concern:
Willett Urgent Care Centre, 238 Grand River Street North in Paris, Ont. - May 11 from 2:50 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Thrive AbleLiving (The Willett), 238 Grand River Street North in Paris, Ont., - May 11 from 2:50 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Brantford General Hospital A Wing Tim Hortons, 200 Terrace Hill Street., Brantford - May 11 from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m.
According to a report released by Public Health Ontario, Grand Erie Public Health reported 222 confirmed or probable cases of measles since Oct. 28, 2024. The latest data represents an increase of 21 cases since May 6.
What to look out for with the measles virus
Measles is highly contagious. The disease can spread through the air when an infected person coughs, sneezes or breathes. Even brief exposure to measles can result in illness.
Symptoms include a fever, runny nose, cough, red watery eyes, small white spots inside the mouth and a red blotchy rash. Other signs of measles include diarrhea, ear infections and pneumonia. In severe cases, measles can cause brain inflammation and death.
It usually takes between seven and 21 days for symptoms to show up.
Anyone who believes they may have been exposed to the illness is asked to stay at home and avoid contact with others. If medical treatment is needed, people are urged to contact their health provider ahead of time to prevent measles from spreading to other patients.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

RFK Jr. ousts CDC's entire vaccine advisory committee
RFK Jr. ousts CDC's entire vaccine advisory committee

CBC

time3 hours ago

  • CBC

RFK Jr. ousts CDC's entire vaccine advisory committee

Social Sharing U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. on Monday removed every member of a scientific committee that advises the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on how to use vaccines and pledged to replace them with his own picks. Major physicians and public health groups criticized the move to oust all 17 members of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). Kennedy has not said who he would appoint to the panel, but said it would convene in just two weeks in Atlanta. Although it's typically not viewed as a partisan board, the entire current roster of committee members were appointees of U.S. President Joe Biden's administration. "Without removing the current members, the current Trump administration would not have been able to appoint a majority of new members until 2028," Kennedy wrote in a Wall Street Journal opinion piece. "A clean sweep is needed to re-establish public confidence in vaccine science." When reached by phone, the panel's now-former chair — Dr. Helen Keipp Talbot of Vanderbilt University — declined to comment. But another panel member, Noel Brewer at the University of North Carolina, said he and other committee members received an email late Monday afternoon that said their services on the committee had been terminated but gave no reason. "I'd assumed I'd continue serving on the committee for my full term," said Brewer, who joined the panel last summer. Brewer is a behavioural scientist whose research examines why people get vaccinated and ways to improve vaccination coverage. Whether people get vaccinated is largely influenced by what their doctors recommend, and doctors have been following ACIP guidance. "Up until today, ACIP recommendations were the gold standard for what insurers should pay for, what providers should recommend, and what the public should look to," he said. Committee not consulted But Kennedy already took the unusual step of changing COVID-19 recommendations without first consulting the committee — a move criticized by doctors' groups and public health advocates. "It's unclear what the future holds," Brewer said. "Certainly provider organizations have already started to turn away from ACIP." Kennedy said the committee members had too many conflicts of interest. Currently, committee members are required to declare any potential such conflicts, as well as business interests, that arise during their tenure. They also must disclose any possible conflicts at the start of each public meeting. But Dr. Tom Frieden, president and CEO of Resolve to Save Lives and former director of the CDC, said Kennedy's actions were based on false conflict-of-interest claims and set "a dangerous and unprecedented action that makes our families less safe" by potentially reducing vaccine access for millions of people. "Make no mistake: Politicizing the ACIP as Secretary Kennedy is doing will undermine public trust under the guise of improving it," he said in a statement. "We'll look back at this as a grave mistake that sacrificed decades of scientific rigour, undermined public trust, and opened the door for fringe theories rather than facts." 'Not how democracies work' Dr. Georges Benjamin, executive director of the American Public Health Association, called Kennedy's mass ouster "a coup." "It's not how democracies work. It's not good for the health of the nation," he said. Benjamin said the move raises real concerns about whether future committee members will be viewed as impartial. He added that Kennedy is going against what he told lawmakers and the public, and the public health association plans to watch Kennedy "like a hawk." "He is breaking a promise," Benjamin said. "He said he wasn't going to do this." Dr. Bruce A. Scott, president of the American Medical Association, called the committee a trusted source of science- and data-driven advice and said Kennedy's move, coupled with declining vaccination rates across the country, will help drive an increase in vaccine-preventable diseases. The committee had been in a state of flux since Kennedy took over. Its first meeting this year had been delayed when the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services abruptly postponed its February meeting. During Kennedy's confirmation, Cassidy had expressed concerns about preserving the committee, saying he had sought assurances that Kennedy would keep the panel's current vaccine recommendations.

Ontario's planned crackdown on exclusivity deals could go further, pharmacy regulator says
Ontario's planned crackdown on exclusivity deals could go further, pharmacy regulator says

Globe and Mail

time4 hours ago

  • Globe and Mail

Ontario's planned crackdown on exclusivity deals could go further, pharmacy regulator says

The board of Ontario's pharmacy regulator said on Monday the province's proposed new restrictions on exclusivity deals between insurers and pharmacies were a good step, but should go further to protect patient safety. Ontario recently began a second public consultation on preferred provider (or pharmacy) networks (PPNs), a type of deal between pharmacies and insurers that can restrict where patients get medication. The consultation proposes two options for restricting the deals: 'any able and willing provider' legislation that would allow any pharmacy to join an insurer's network if they met the necessary criteria; and 'standardized and mandatory exemptions' that would allow any patient to go outside a network if they met conditions set by a regulator. The province leaves it open to whether it could pursue either, both or neither option. The board of the Ontario College of Pharmacists has been discussing a potential crackdown on PPNs since early last year, even passing a motion expressing 'zero tolerance' for closed networks last July. The board discussed the latest consultation at its meeting Monday. A briefing document prepared and distributed by college staff ahead of time suggested the province's proposals could be 'strengthened' to meet the regulator's goals of guaranteeing patient choice, continuity of care and access to care. Ontario regulator condemns exclusive deals between pharmacies, insurance companies Board chair Doug Brown, who owns and runs a pharmacy in the town of Port Perry, said he acknowledged that there was frustration in the community 'over what is perceived to be the lack of progress on this issue.' However, he said the consultation – which is run by Ontario's Ministry of Finance – crosses multiple industries and needs to be done carefully. He said any new actions undertaken by the college could be undone depending on how the legislation is eventually drafted, and so it would be prudent for the regulator to wait for now. 'But let me be absolutely clear, the college is prepared to move quickly and decisively once the government has confirmed what it will or won't do to address the clear concerns that remained unresolved,' he said. Most board members expressed support for the province's proposed options. Elnora Magboo, one of the board's public members, asked during the meeting whether PPNs could provide greater access to medication because of savings negotiated between the agreement's participants. Ontario considers rule to limit exclusivity deals between insurers and pharmacies Insurers have argued PPNs are useful tools to keep costs down. They say the deals allow them to negotiate discounts from pharmacies that they pass on to plan sponsors. But some of the board's independent pharmacists, who are often kept out of these networks in favour of large chain pharmacies, pushed back on the idea that there are cost savings, and raised other concerns with the deals. Siva Sivapalan, a community pharmacist in Beamsville, raised a witness the board heard from last July, whose medication was delivered by a network pharmacy to a non-refrigerated area at the back of a craft store. That witness – a teacher from Waterloo named Amy Miller – lodged a complaint with the network pharmacy last summer. In the months since, she has expressed frustration at the slow pace of the college's investigation and the difficulty in obtaining her medication from her preferred source. 'Every month that passes without a decision makes my access to care more uncertain,' Ms. Miller wrote in a letter sent to the board in May, which she shared with The Globe and Mail. 'Every delay deepens the harm. And every public statement you make about protecting patients becomes more hollow.' College spokesperson Dave Bourne said the regulator could not share details about Ms. Miller's case, but continues to investigate concerns about PPNs. Speaking generally, he said some complaints are complex and time-consuming to investigate. 'We understand Ms. Miller's frustration with the time being taken to address her complaint, and we empathize with her situation,' he said in an e-mail.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store