Latest news with #SouthernHealth-SantéSud
Winnipeg Free Press
6 days ago
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
Some southern Manitoba households ignored public health measles directives, documents reveal
Public health officials are up against brazen rebellion as they tackle a recent resurgence in measles. Newly released government documents shed light on the challenges related to limiting the spread of the highly infectious disease in Manitoba. Southern Health-Santé Sud has advised that area households are ignoring public health directives, as per a series of May briefings obtained by the Free Press via a freedom of information request. 'Some affected families are allowing their unimmunized, asymptomatic children who are household contacts to cases to attend school,' they each state. Seven public schools — elementary buildings in Gretna, Dugald, Plum Coulee, Grunthal (Green Valley School) and Schanzenfeld (both Prairie Dale and Southwood schools), as well as Lorette Collegiate, a Grades 9-12 school just south of Winnipeg — were exposure sites in the spring. Three others were alerted about measles activity due to overlapping school bus routes. A Winnipeg-based home school was also affected by a positive case. Unvaccinated close contacts are supposed to isolate for up to 21 days. Bioethicist Arthur Schafer said vaccine hesitancy was 'aggravated' by COVID-19 pandemic-related backlash against public health mandates and misinformation lumping all shots together. 'Whatever they think of the COVID vaccine, the measles, mumps, rubella vaccine is proven safe and effective and it really is a moral obligation of parents to protect our children and to protect the community,' said the founding director of the University of Manitoba's Centre for Professional and Applied Ethics. The rate of children who have received the MMR vaccine, which has proven to be about 97 per cent effective, is trending downwards in Manitoba. The latest available uptake data shows 65 per cent of seven-year-olds had MMR coverage in 2023. That figure was 74 per cent in 2020, the same as it was a decade ago. Schafer noted the few individuals who do contract the virus despite being immunized almost always have milder symptoms and are less infectious. As far as he is concerned, the province is overdue for launching a public health campaign that touts the effectiveness of the MMR vaccine. A total of 165 confirmed patients with measles — for which there is no cure — have been identified in Manitoba since the start of 2025. There were 10 additional 'probable' cases at the end of July. Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara said it's troubling whenever residents ignore public health guidance, providing evidence that more work is required on the part of the province. 'We are in an era of misinformation and disinformation and we have to work really hard to make sure that people have accurate, science-based information to make the most informed health decisions for themselves and their families,' Asagwara said. The public service informed the minister's office in a June 2 measles update that it had identified an event in southern Manitoba with 'high potential' to be a super-spreader situation. 'Public Health is monitoring but does not anticipate significant co-operation from the group on contacts of the case,' the internal briefing said. Asagwara, a former nurse, said public health officials are already doing outreach to build trust with families and distributing educational materials on vaccines. Letters outlining the current outbreak and tips to protect families have been written in English, French and Low German. In the wake of reports that close contacts were flouting isolation requirements, Southern Health-Santé Sud drafted a reminder to improve compliance in the region. The followup advised recipients about the severity of measles, particularly for high-risk patients, and urged them to protect their communities. Most patients recover from measles within several weeks, but an infection can lead to an ear infection, pneumonia, seizures, brain damage or death. The disease is particularly deadly for children. Wednesdays A weekly dispatch from the head of the Free Press newsroom. Manitoba's largest hospital began actively screening visitors for measles, which typically presents as a red, blotchy rash, earlier this summer. Signage has also been posted across the Health Sciences Centre campus. The extra step is taking place via intercom and at reception desks inside the women's and children's hospitals, neonatal intensive care unit and outpatient clinics, among other sites. Asked about those changes, which went into effect on July 7, a spokesperson for Doctors Manitoba said they should be treated as 'a wake-up call for Manitobans.' – With files from Malak Abas Maggie MacintoshEducation reporter Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Free Press. Originally from Hamilton, Ont., she first reported for the Free Press in 2017. Read more about Maggie. Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative. Every piece of reporting Maggie produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Winnipeg Free Press
19-06-2025
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
Southern Health authority issues measles advisory as case numbers rise in region
The Southern Health authority has issued a public advisory amid a growing number of measles cases in the region. The advisory, released Thursday, urges people living in southern Manitoba to 'remain vigilant and ensure that all eligible family members are fully immunized against measles.' The provincial government issues weekly updates, but Thursday's advisory was the first public message to come directly from Southern Health-Santé Sud. Dr. Mahmoud Khodaveisi, the regional authority's medical officer of health, said a decision was made to warn the public because the increasing number of cases are, largely, coming from the area. 'This is a significant rise in Manitoba,' he said Thursday. 'We haven't seen this number of cases in the Southern Health (region), I would say, since measles was eliminated in Canada in 1998.' In some patients the virus can lead to complications, including ear infections, pneumonia and encephalitis that can cause seizures, brain damage or death. Measles occurring during pregnancy has been associated with spontaneous abortion, premature delivery and babies born with low birth weight. Most people recover fully from measles within two to three weeks. Complications are more common in infants and adults and those with weakened immune systems. All four exposure sites listed in the province's weekly measles update released Tuesday were in southern Manitoba — two in Winkler, one in Steinbach and one in Manitou. Putting out the message has had a notable impact, Khodaveisi said — Southern Health-Santé Sud has set up pop-up immunization clinics across the region, and officials have noticed an increase in the number of measles vaccine doses being ordered by primary-health providers since April. 'We try just to be there to provide evidence-based information,' he said. 'But it's not (fixed in) one day, two days, it takes time.' There have now been 105 confirmed and eight probable measles cases in the province since February. Probable cases, Khodaveisi said, are typically patients who have measles-like symptoms and are in a community or were at an exposure site with high measles activity, but refuse to be tested. A doctor working out of Winkler is happy to see the health region put out the advisory, but isn't sure how many people it will convert. 'How many additional people you (will) persuade to have their kids or themselves vaccinated, I don't know. But is it going to be negative? I don't think so,' Dr. Don Klassen said. 'I think the people who clearly made up their minds and won't get vaccinated aren't going to get swayed by this; the people who are convinced that vaccinating for measles is a good thing, they've already done it.' Similar to the fight to protect people from COVID-19 at the pandemic's peak, he said, the only way he's seen people change their minds is through conversations with a trusted medical professional. 'You just hope that they will take your advice and and get with the program.' Winkler Mayor Henry Siemens agreed and said he hopes families on the fence about getting vaccinated take their questions and concerns to their doctor. 'Conversations are happening, definitely, in our community,' he said. Siemens said he recognizes a persisting hesitancy lingers in the region despite best efforts from medical professionals. 'I think the communication piece is fairly strong, but traditionally, even around — as we're now seeing — normal childhood immunizations, there is some hesitancy in the Southern Health region, even within high immigrant populations,' he said. 'It doesn't necessarily even need to be the existing groups of people that are here, there are people that are coming from other places in the world who sometimes struggle to believe everything that they hear from government. So it takes some additional time to get that communication through.' Some exposure sites have been turned into vaccine clinics and information hubs. Garden Valley School Division hosted a Southern Health immunization clinic at Southwood School after exposures occurred there and on school buses in April. In the time since, two other schools in the region — Plum Coulee School and Prairie Dale School — have been identified as exposure sites. School division superintendent Dan Ward said they will continue to 'work closely with Southern Health–Santé Sud' in notifying families of possible exposures. Malak AbasReporter Malak Abas is a city reporter at the Free Press. Born and raised in Winnipeg's North End, she led the campus paper at the University of Manitoba before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Malak. Every piece of reporting Malak produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Economic Times
22-05-2025
- Health
- Economic Times
Manitoba becomes ground zero in Canada's measles crisis; Symptoms and treatment
IANS Diplomatic delegation, including four Canadians, seeks cover as Israeli troops fire warning shots during a tour in Jenin, West Bank A highly contagious and potentially deadly disease, thought to be nearly eliminated from Canada, has returned with alarming speed. Manitoba is under threat as it faces a surge in measles cases, marking the province's most substantial outbreak in decades. Health officials have confirmed 60 cases as of now, with four additional probable cases under investigation. The outbreak, which began with the first reported case in February, has seen a rapid escalation, with 42 new cases identified in May alone. Also Read: Measles outbreak in AlbertaExperts warn that the actual number of infections may be higher due to delays between infection and laboratory Cynthia Carr emphasized the contagious nature of measles, stating, 'This virus is very good at spreading. As a reminder, it can stay in the air two hours after the person infected with measles has been in the room and left.' Manitoba has expanded eligibility for the measles, mumps, and rubella (MMR) vaccine in response to the escalating situation. Infants aged six months to under 12 months residing in the Southern Health-Santé Sud and Interlake Eastern Regional Health Authority regions, or those who travel regularly to and have close contact with residents of these areas, are eligible for an additional dose of the MMR vaccine. Dr. Peter Hotez, a pediatrician and molecular virology professor at Baylor College of Medicine, highlighted the importance of vaccination in curbing the outbreak. 'The only way to stop the flow is to bolster herd immunity and get 90-95 per cent vaccination rates. The only way you're going to slow this down is by a catch-up measles vaccination campaign,' he said. Also Read: US records over 800 confirmed cases of measles in 2025 According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, there have been 1,069 measles cases reported nationwide in 2025, with 885 cases linked to a multijurisdictional outbreak that began in New Brunswick in October 2024 and has since spread to Ontario, Alberta, Manitoba, and Quebec. Public health officials continue to monitor the situation closely and urge residents to ensure their MMR vaccinations are up to date, as it remains the most effective tool in preventing the spread of is not just highly transmissible but also potentially severe. The complications can include ear infections, pneumonia, and in severe cases, encephalitis, which can lead to permanent brain damage or even vaccinated with the MMR (measles, mumps, rubella) vaccine, which is highly effective in preventing infection. If exposed, monitor for symptoms like fever, rash, and white spots in the mouth, and contact a healthcare provider immediately—especially if you're unvaccinated, pregnant, or immunocompromised. Early medical care can reduce complications.
CBC
05-02-2025
- Health
- CBC
2 Manitoba regional health authority leaders sacked as province releases financial audits
Probes into spending by Manitoba's regional health authorities over the last few years have found "systemic government failures," the province's health minister said as two new leaders were announced. The audits, done by consulting firm Deloitte for fiscal years from 2019-20 to 2023-24, discovered a "disconnect" between the province's order to improve health-care culture and decisions made by system leaders, Uzoma Asagwara said in a news release Wednesday. All of Manitoba's regional health authorities were examined, except for Southern Health-Santé Sud, after the province commissioned the audits in March 2024, the release said. All but one of the health authorities reported year-after-year deficits in the audits. The accumulated deficits are the result of a culture in Manitoba's health-care system that fails to distribute funds to the front lines, deprioritizes patients and ignores front-line health-care workers, Asagwara said. Temporary leaders for two of the health authorities that underwent the audits were also announced on Wednesday. Chris Christadoulou has been named interim CEO of Shared Health, the organization said in a news release. He's replacing Lanette Siragusa, who served as head of the health authority since April 2023 after becoming a familiar face in Manitoba during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jane Curtis, who previously led Southern Health-Santé Sud, has been named interim CEO of the Winnipeg Regional Health Authority, a news release said. She's replacing Mike Nader, who had been in the role since April 2021.
