Latest news with #SWPH
CTV News
23-05-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Measles outbreak posing challenges: SWPH
Southwestern Public Health (SWPH) officials say they're dealing with a measles outbreak posing significant challenges.
CBC
11-04-2025
- Health
- CBC
At the epicentre of Ontario's measles outbreak, residents reel with concern
Outside the Southwestern Public Health (SWPH) building, St. Thomas resident Cemon Aswathi sighed with relief after booking her 17-month-old son Nathan for the second dose of a vaccine that protects against the measles. "We booked it in advance just to be protected more," said Aswathi. "It's difficult since he's very young and it's very easy to catch, so it's a frightening situation when children are suffering." The region, spanning across St. Thomas and smaller townships and municipalities in Oxford and Elgin counties, has accounted for about 40 per cent of measles infections reported in Ontario over the last six months. Thirty-two new cases were recorded this past week. The current measles outbreak, which began last fall, has been the largest Canada has seen in more than a decade. Health officials in Ontario said they've now seen 816 people with measles, the majority unvaccinated children. Public health units overseeing Ontario's southwest region account for roughly 88 per cent of the reported cases since October. A regional breakdown can be found here. "Majority of the people I know want to get vaccinated because they're afraid and don't want to get [the measles]. People are also afraid to go to the emergency now because it's a huge breakout," said Aswathi. Working to get message to Mennonites In March, Ontario's chief medical officer of health Dr. Kieran Moore confirmed in a memo that the current outbreak was traced to a "large gathering with guests from Mennonite communities in New Brunswick last fall," and has since spread across the country. The town of Aylmer in Elgin County is home to a large Mennonite community and a local organization is working with the health unit to ensure residents are receiving public health messages. Mennonite Community Services (MCS) of Southern Ontario translates the health unit's ads to the Low German language and airs them on its 24/7 local radio station. "People come in for various information at all times, so our doors are always open because we want to make sure the newcomers get the support they need and we can refer them to where they need to go," said executive director Anna Bergen, adding the ads aren't specific to measles. "We assume they are getting the message and that allows them to reach out to their choice of health care provider." There's also worry that people from the Mennonite, Amish and other anabaptist communities will be shunned or discrminated against because of the outbreak. "Our community is diverse and we have different views so nobody wants to be put in one pocket as one or the other. Aylmer is a great town and I'd like for it to be seen as that," Bergen said. The outbreak is extremely worrisome for Aylmer resident Jodi Nesbitt, whose daughter has a two-year-old child and is pregnant with her second. "Every time your child gets a cough, cold or a little tiny spot, you're always thinking 'Is it measles, should we stay home, should we isolate?' There's so many questions for people," said Nesbitt, who works as a nurse at a retirement home in Oxford County's Tillsonburg. "We're very concerned about it because the two-year-old hasn't been fully immunized yet so hopefully he can get his second one soon because they did open it up." Children can receive one dose of the vaccine at 12 months old. Due to the unprecedented measles outbreak, they can now get a second dosage as early as four weeks after the first one, according to SPWH's website. Infants aged 6 to 11 months are also now eligible to receive a dose of measles-containing vaccine for earlier protection against measles, the health unit said. Health officials are expecting the outbreak could last up to two years by the time it spreads through unvaccinated communities, Dr. Asmaa Hussain, a pediatrician at St. Thomas General Hospital told CBC's Afternoon Drive on Thursday. "I'm very concerned, it does not take a lot to bring some of these infections here and it will spread really quickly," said Hussain, adding it will add more strain to an already struggling health-care system. "We are in this for the long haul."
CBC
10-04-2025
- Health
- CBC
35 new measles cases reported south of London in past week
Southwestern Public Health (SWPH) says measles in its jurisdiction have grown to take up most of the province's outbreak, with 35 new cases reported in the past seven days. The total number of cases reported in the the area covering Elgin and Oxford Counties, as well as the City of St. Thomas, is now 343 since October 2024 - more than half of the province's total of 655 as of April 2. Thirty-five of those cases have required hospitalization at some point, said medical officer of health Dr. Ninh Tran, and more than 90 per cent have been in someone who has not been immunized. "My message today is for parents and guardians in our region," Tran said during a media briefing Thursday. "If you have children attending school or childcare, it is important to know what to expect if there was a measles exposure in one of these settings." The health unit is required to investigate possible exposures after receiving a positive measles test result, he said. While steps are taken to tell the public they may have been exposed, there's no guarantee the health unit can reach everyone. "The people who've had two doses of measles-containing vaccine are generally not at risk from that exposure as well," Tran added. "Those born before 1970 are generally not at risk. Under-immunized or unimmunized individuals are at risk from that exposure." The majority of cases reported to SWPH — more than 73 per cent — continue to be in people under the age of 18. The numbers are part of the largest measles outbreak Canada has seen in more than a decade. Ontario's measles outbreak prompts New York travel advisory 2 days ago Duration 1:49 Measles cases are on the rise in Ontario and other parts of North America. The virus's spread has become so large that public health officials in New York have issued a travel advisory to those travelling to Ontario. CBC's Greg Ross has the latest on what people need to know. A memo from Ontario's chief medical officer of health Dr. Kieran Moore in March confirmed that the current outbreak was from a "large gathering with guests from Mennonite communities in New Brunswick last fall." There has been an uptick in vaccinations across all ages, said Tran. They are up 130 per cent between January 1st and April 8th compared to the same period last year. Tran is also urging parents to update their child's vaccination records after getting immunized. It save a lot of time and effort for the health unit if a vaccine registry was digitized, he added. "Either people can't seem to find them, so they have to contact their healthcare provider and then report to us," he said. "[A digital registry] would save a lot of additional time and energy for parents, for healthcare providers and as far as ourselves and it would really help guide our response. That would be incredible." Most people in the province still track their shots on paper, which the Ontario Immunization Advisory Committee is encouraging the Ministry of Health to change. The committee said in a position statement that it "strongly urges" the province to develop an electronic immunization registry, which would replace the current method of keeping track of shots on yellow paper.
CBC
04-03-2025
- Health
- CBC
With measles cases rising, Southwestern Public Health steps up immunizations
First-dose vaccinations now offered for infants aged 6 to 11 months In a move to curb a measles outbreak that is hitting kids particularly hard, Southwestern Public Health (SWPH) is expanding its vaccination program to include a first dose for infants aged six to 11 months. Measles is surging. Do you need a booster? "Measles is in our community, this is a concerning outbreak," said Dr. Ninh Tran, the region's medical officer of health. As of Feb. 26, 177 cases of measles have been detected in the province since Oct. 28, 2024. SWPH declared a measles outbreak in late January. According to the latest numbers posted last week, 110 cases have been reported to the local health unit since October. Nine of those cases have resulted in hospitalizations, with eight coming since the new year. Of the 177 cases tracked province-wide since the outbreak began, 141 were in children and adolescents. Also, 98 per cent of people who've contracted measles in this outbreak are unvaccinated against the disease. Tran said the infant vaccinations being offered by SWPH are a new option for parents to guard against the highly contagious respiratory virus. Generally, toddlers get their first dose of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine on their first birthday, followed by a booster when they turn four. Tran said the doses at ages one and four are still recommended, with the infant vaccinations added as a new option to protect children quickly during this outbreak. "Having one dose provides a significant amount of protection versus having no doses," said Tran. "Infants are one of highest risk groups." The new appointments for babies up to 11 months old are available for residents of Oxford and Elgin Counties and the city of St. Thomas. The health unit has also posted information about recent exposures to measles. One exposure happened at East Elgin Community Complex and Arena on Feb. 15. Other transmissions have been traced to local hospital emergency departments. While death is rare in measles cases, it can cause long-standing health problems, particularly for people in high-risk groups, including children, pregnant women and people with compromised immune systems. "This is something no parent would want to see their children get," said Tran. Measles can lead to long-term health effects Speaking Monday on CBC's The Current, Dr. Dawn Bowdish, an Associate Professor at McMaster University, said measles can spread rapidly in communities with low vaccination rates. It can also take up to three weeks before an infected person shows symptoms. "A person could be walking around, breathing out the virus, and somebody could pick it up before they even know they're sick," said Bowdish. "It stays in the air for a really long time. You can walk into a room where someone was breathing an hour ago and still get it." Also, once patients recover, they can be left with long-lasting health effects, including a compromised immune system. "It's not just the acute phase of measles that's dangerous," said Bowdish. "It's this post-measles phase where there are more health concerns. Just because kids don't die doesn't mean they won't be carrying the scars of this infection for a really long time or forever." Laura Taylor, who has a nine-month-old son, made sure to get her child vaccinated. She lives in Aylmer, Ont., where health officials say exposure happened at a local community centre and arena. "It's definitely very scary, seeing the cases pop up on Facebook," she said. "There are more and more cases, and it's closer to home." Recently, her son contracted a fever, and although it wasn't connected to measles, she said the recent rise in cases was enough to cause her unease. "The thought crosses your mind, that fear of knowing something's close by in the community," she said. Misinformation on social media Emma Arthur is a registered practical nurse who lives in Ingersoll, Ont. She's studying to get her bachelor of science in nursing degree to pursue a career in public health. She's frustrated at seeing the spread of a disease that had been declared eradicated in Canada back in 1999 due to widespread immunization. Arthur is also frustrated by the misinformation about the disease being shared on social media. "Misinformation can spread like wildfire, and so can the measles," she said.
CBC
04-03-2025
- Health
- CBC
Oxford, Elgin counties have highest measles case count in Canada as officials warn of new exposures
Oxford and Elgin counties have the highest number of measles cases in Canada, Ontario's public health agency says, as local medical officials warn of more possible exposures to the virus. As of Feb. 26, 177 cases of measles had been detected in the province since Oct. 28, 2024, according to Public Health Ontario, most in the area covered by Southwestern Public Health (SWPH) Eighty-five of those cases were in Elgin and Oxford counties as well as St. Thomas and Woodstock, and 79 of them were in neighbouring Grand Erie Public Health's area, which includes Brant, Norfolk and Haldimand counties. Alongside potential exposures at three medical facilities, the latest alert includes a notice that visitors to a community arena in Aylmer may have been exposed to the virus. Anyone born in 1970 or later who isn't up to date on their vaccinations should call public health if they were exposed, officials say. The newly reported exposures are as follows: East Elgin Community Complex (arena) - 531 Talbot St., Aylmer. Feb.15, 2025, 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Alexandra Hospital Emergency Department- 29 Noxon St., Ingersoll. Feb. 21, 2025, 8:53 p.m. to 11:05 p.m. Woodstock General Hospital Emergency Department- 310 Juliana Dr., Woodstock. Feb. 23, 2025, 8:20 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Tillsonburg Medical Centre - 200 Broadway St., Tillsonburg. Feb. 25, 2025, 1:30 p.m. to 4:12 p.m. While exposures at clinics and hospitals have been common in the past several weeks due to the outbreak, news of an exposure at the East Elgin Community Complex drew frustration from residents who commented on a SWPH notice posted to social media. It's not the first time the community centre has been the subject of an alert. On Feb. 24, officials warned of a potential exposure on Feb. 17 between 5 p.m., and 8 p.m. According to the East Elgin Community Complex's online calendar, a hockey tournament was underway at the date and time of the most recent exposure. Since the outbreak began, public health officials have urged vaccinations. Public Health Ontario and the Ministry of Health have given the two health units a directive to increase those efforts and lower the time between initial vaccination and booster doses. Roughly 90 per cent of cases in Ontario are in unvaccinated people, with the vast majority of them in children one to nine years old. Two doses of the measles vaccine are recommended for anyone born in or after 1970. In Canada, the vaccine is available in the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine and the measles-mumps-rubella-varicella (MMRV) vaccine.
