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Tag: Canada

Topic: Nova ScotiaView all posts for the topic: Nova Scotia

1 case of measles confirmed in Nova Scotia

Published May 6, 2025

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: CBC News
Published on:
By Carolyn Ray

Nova Scotia is confirming its first case of measles.

Dr. Robert Strang, the chief medical officer of health, told a news conference Tuesday that the patient is an adult in Halifax who recently travelled to the United States. They went to the emergency department at the QEII hospital in Halifax on Sunday night.

“We were well prepared for this,” Strang said. “Appropriate steps were taken very quickly when this person came in for care to minimize exposure.”

Strang said the patient had one dose of the measles vaccine when they were younger, but did not receive the second. The Health Department said in a news release that “people generally need two [doses] to be fully vaccinated” against measles.

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Topic: Northwest TerritoriesView all posts for the topic: Northwest Territories

Measles exposure advisories sent to some Yellowknife parents

Published May 4, 2025

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Published by: Cabin Radio
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By Ollie Williams

Letters warning of a “confirmed case of measles” were sent to parents of various Yellowknife schools on Sunday evening.

Initially, families at St Patrick High School and Weledeh Catholic School reported receiving an advisory that exposure occurred at St Pat’s – including areas shared with Weledeh – from 8am till 5:40pm on each of April 28, April 30 and May 1.

“All persons present at this venue during the time period are considered to be exposed and must follow public health guidance,” read the letter, issued by the NWT’s chief public health officer, Dr Kami Kandola.

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Ottawa: Contact councillors — save our wastewater monitoring!Image of a chart with a plot of virus concentrations over time. Navy blue background with white text reading: Save our science — protect Ottawa's wastewater monitoring! Text in red: No data.
Topic: take actionView all posts for the topic: take action

Ottawa: Contact councillors — save our wastewater monitoring!

Published May 2, 2025

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

📣 Let municipal councillors know you want funding for wastewater monitoring to continue

✉️ Send letters to municipal councillors in Ottawa to voice your support for wastewater monitoring. Use our online tool to send emails.

Why take action? The funding for Ottawa’s wastewater monitoring program is currently set to expire in September 2025. Wastewater monitoring is an essential public health tool that provides insights into the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses in Ottawa. We need an early warning system to inform everyone about the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 subvariants, influenza, avian flu, RSV, mpox, and other viruses.

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Topic: Ottawa-GatineauView all posts for the topic: Ottawa-Gatineau

Ottawa has its 1st confirmed measles cases of the decade

Published May 1, 2025

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Published by: CBC News
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Ottawa has its first confirmed measles cases since 2019, part of the still-growing outbreak in many parts of the province.

Ontario has now reported 1,243 measles cases across 17 public health units, including 223 new cases in the week since its last update.

That includes new cases in Algoma Public Health in the Sault Ste. Marie area and Renfrew County’s health unit northwest of Ottawa.

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Chronically ill artists honour International Awareness Month for chronic neuro-immune diseasesAn artistic portrait in blue and purple hues shows a woman in side profile from the chest up. Her figure is partly hidden by thick, cloud-like haze, and her silhouette includes images of tall wild grass and evergreen trees. Overlaid text reads: “Opera Mariposa’s Benefit + Awareness Month for the ME | FM Society of BC. May 1–June 1, 2025. Enter to win $3K prizes for charity. benefit.operamariposa.com. No purchase necessary to enter or win. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received.” The image also includes two butterfly logos: a red one for Opera Mariposa, and a blue, purple, and teal one for the ME | FM Society of BC. Additional details note that the event is online, closed-captioned in English, self-paced, by donation and free to attend, with support up to $3,000 being triple matched.
Topic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia

Chronically ill artists honour International Awareness Month for chronic neuro-immune diseases

Published April 30, 2025

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Published by: Opera Mariposa
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Vancouver’s Opera Mariposa presents month-long programme benefitting the ME | FM Society of BC

April 30, 2025 (Vancouver, BC) – This May, Canadian artists are rallying the community to support people with chronic and post-infectious illnesses. From May 1 to June 1, Vancouver’s Opera Mariposa is presenting their 2025 Benefit + Awareness Month: an all-digital charity extravaganza featuring art, prizes, and special programming benefiting the ME | FM Society of BC.

May is the International Awareness Month for chronic neuro-immune diseases, and Mariposa’s programming is created by and for people impacted by Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME or ME/CFS), Long Covid, and Fibromyalgia. These complex multisystem illnesses affect millions of people across Canada – and that number is rising, given that they can be triggered by viruses, including COVID-19.

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New travel-related measles case found in the Lower MainlandColourized transmission electron micrograph of a measles virus particle (gold), with a purple background. Photo: CDC and NIAID. Licensed under Creative Commons CC BY 2.0 DEED Attribution 2.0 Generic license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
Topic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia

New travel-related measles case found in the Lower Mainland

Published April 26, 2025

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Published by: CityNews
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By Emma Crawford

A new case of travel-related measles has been confirmed in the Lower Mainland this week.

Fraser Health says a traveller from Ontario who went to Vancouver and Chilliwack on April 20 has a confirmed infection of the virus.

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Topic: YukonView all posts for the topic: Yukon

2 doses of COVID-19 vaccine recommended for Yukoners at higher risk of severe illness

Published April 25, 2025

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Published by: Yukon News
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By Talar Stockton

In an April 24 press release, YG said it is acting on the advice of the Yukon’s chief medical officer of health, and the National Advisory Committee on Immunization.

Those who are eligible for the twice-per-year vaccination encompass multiple categories: people aged 6 months to 64 years who are moderately to severely immunocompromised due to an underlying condition or treatment; residents in long-term care homes and other congregate living settings for seniors; and adults 65 years or older.

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Topic: OntarioView all posts for the topic: Ontario

Ontario reports 95 new measles cases, sending total above 1,000 since outbreak began

Published April 24, 2025

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Published by: The Canadian Press
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By Nicole Ireland

TORONTO – Public Health Ontario is reporting 95 new measles cases since last week, bringing the total number of people infected past 1,000.

It says a total of 1,020 people have had measles since the province’s outbreak began last October.

The agency says the ongoing rise in cases is “due to continued exposures and transmission among individuals who have not been immunized.”

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Ontario School Safety Calls on Province for an Immediate Vaccine-PLUS Strategy to Tackle Current Measles OutbreakColourized transmission electron micrograph of a measles virus particle (red), with a blue background. Photo: CDC and NIAID. Licensed under Creative Commons CC BY 2.0 DEED Attribution 2.0 Generic license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
Topic: OntarioView all posts for the topic: Ontario

Ontario School Safety Calls on Province for an Immediate Vaccine-PLUS Strategy to Tackle Current Measles Outbreak

Published April 24, 2025

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Published by: Ontario School Safety
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Toronto, Ontario – [April 24, 2025] – In an urgent appeal to protect the health and safety of Ontario’s students, education workers, and families, Ontario School Safety (OSS) has issued an open letter asking the Ontario Provincial Government and Public Health Ontario for an immediate vaccine-PLUS strategy, which includes the essential role of healthy indoor air, to curtail the spread of measles. This critical request comes in the wake of concerning measles infection rates – as of April 17th, 2025, Public Health Ontario is reporting 925 measles cases in the province, more than five times the number of cases than the total number of cases over the last 12 years. Encouraging a vaccine-only strategy is insufficient due to barriers to access, and because measles spreads not only through direct contact with secretions or contaminated surfaces, but through the air we breathe.

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Topic: long COVIDView all posts for the topic: long COVID

Possible treatments for long COVID at the centre of new Western study

Published April 24, 2025

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Published by: CTV News
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By Bailey Shakyaver

More than 300 patients across four continents are at the centre of a Western long COVID study, which hopes to find an effective treatment for those who struggle with long COVID.

The study will look to trial two anti-inflammatory medicines as potential treatments, and hopes to bring into view people who struggle with the disease outside of North America.

“Despite the global prevalence of long COVID, patients report different symptoms and their presentation can be influenced by where they happen to live,” said Dr. Douglas Fraser, professor at Western’s Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry. “A study with global reach, tailored to examine each patient’s most severe symptoms, has the potential to bring hope to people well beyond Canada and the U.S.”

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Topic: measlesView all posts for the topic: measles

Measles outbreak ends in Quebec as number of cases explodes in Ontario

Published April 22, 2025

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Published by: Radio-Canada / The Canadian Press
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The measles outbreak that began in Quebec in December has officially ended, the Ministry of Health has confirmed. The situation is quite different in Ontario, which has recorded more than 900 cases.

The spread has stabilized in Quebec in recent weeks, with the last recorded case dating back to March 18. Quebec has confirmed 40 cases of measles during this outbreak, with the vast majority (32 cases) in the Laurentians.

According to the government’s technical parameters for the management of measles cases, contacts and outbreaks in Quebec, the end of the outbreak is set at the 32nd day following the last presence of the last contagious case in an environment.

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Topic: pandemic responseView all posts for the topic: pandemic response

Is Public Health Really Dead?

Published April 22, 2025

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Published by: The Tyee
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By Michelle Gamage

Local podcaster Daniella Barreto called her latest project Public Health Is Dead to capture her frustration with how leaders handled the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It seemed like all of these things we’re taught in school, like prevention being key and using evidence to make decisions, was thrown out the window,” Barreto told The Tyee. “Mask mandates were being taken away, people were increasingly getting long COVID, and I decided I needed to do something because people were not getting the information they needed.”

Launching the podcast in November 2024, Barreto used her background in public health, with a master of science in population public health from the University of British Columbia and a bachelor of science in health science from Simon Fraser University, to help explain what went wrong. So far she’s released five episodes and has many more in the works.

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Volunteers needed to test no-needle COVID vaccine made in HamiltonPhoto of the Michael G. DeGroote School of Medicine at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario. The building features a glass-walled atrium. In the foreground, there are some trees with green leaves. Photo by Captain108 / Wikimedia Commons.
Topic: vaccinesView all posts for the topic: vaccines

Volunteers needed to test no-needle COVID vaccine made in Hamilton

Published April 21, 2025

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Published by: Hamilton Spectator
Published on:
By Joanna Frketich

A made-in-Hamilton COVID vaccine that requires no needles is moving to the next stage of testing and researchers are looking for volunteers to take part.

The vaccine that is inhaled instead of injected will be studied by McMaster University researchers with $8 million in funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

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Topic: ManitobaView all posts for the topic: Manitoba

Manitoba rolling out COVID-19 spring vaccination campaign for high-risk groups

Published April 16, 2025

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Published by: CBC News
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Manitoba is rolling out a vaccination campaign for those at the highest risk of developing serious outcomes from COVID-19, aiming to get people vaccinated before summer, when virus circulation might increase, the province says.

Between May 1 and June 30, the province will make additional COVID-19 vaccine doses available for people who have already had a dose since last fall, but meet specific criteria.

The extra doses will be available to anyone age 65 or older, Indigenous people over the age of 45, residents of long-term care homes, and anyone age six months or up who is moderately or severely immunocompromised.

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Topic: OntarioView all posts for the topic: Ontario

Measles is spreading in Ontario — here’s what you need to know

Published April 15, 2025

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Published by: Ottawa Citizen
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By Elizabeth Payne

A major outbreak of measles has infected more than 800 people in Ontario. It’s the first outbreak of its size since the disease was declared eliminated in 1998.

Now, lower vaccination rates are leading to a serious outbreak in the province, enough to garner a travel advisory to the province from New York State south of the border.

Here’s what you need to know about measles — how it’s transmitted, how you can protect yourself, and whether you need to update your vaccinations.

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Topic: QuebecView all posts for the topic: Quebec

Seniors 75 and over invited to get COVID-19 vaccine

Published April 14, 2025

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Published by: La Presse / The Canadian Press
Published on:
By Katrine Desautels

(Montreal) A COVID-19 vaccination campaign is launched this spring for people at risk of developing complications, Santé Québec announced on Monday.

Teams are currently deployed in the province’s long-term care homes, after which vaccination will be offered in private seniors’ residences (RPA) with a more vulnerable clientele.

In addition to CHSLDs and RPAs, seniors 75 years of age or older and people with immunodeficiency or dialysis are encouraged to go get their vaccine dose. This vaccination campaign also aims to reach people aged 65-74 who live with a chronic disease or in remote and isolated areas.

Non-targeted people aged 6 months and older can also receive the COVID-19 vaccine free of charge, says Santé Québec. If they have already been vaccinated, they should wait at least six months after their vaccine before receiving a new dose.

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Topic: OntarioView all posts for the topic: Ontario

Ontario measles case count exceeds 800 total infections, 155 new since last week

Published April 10, 2025

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Published by: The Canadian Press
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By Hannah Alberga

TORONTO – Ontario is reporting 155 new measles cases over the last week, pushing the province’s case count to 816 since an outbreak began in the fall.

The number of new cases has increased again after a few weeks of appearing to stabilize in the 100-per-week range, which public health physicians had taken as a sign of potential optimism.

Dr. Sarah Wilson, public health physician at Public Health Ontario, says the fact that Ontario has exceeded 800 cases is striking.

Continue readingOntario measles case count exceeds 800 total infections, 155 new since last week
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Topic: TorontoView all posts for the topic: Toronto

Airborne Danger

Published April 4, 2025

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Published by: The Grind Magazine
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By Saima Desai

Stuffy, crowded classrooms mean kids are breathing in viruses and pollution. Parents are trying to make the air safer, but hitting roadblocks.

In September 2023, Heather Pun started sending her son to school with a carbon dioxide monitor. He was spending his days in a stuffy portable classroom, and she worried that COVID was being passed lung-to-lung through the stale air.

The device, which reads the concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the air, showed CO2 levels as high as 3,500 parts per million (ppm) in his classroom.

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