An eagerly anticipated serology study in farm workers exposed to H5N1-infected dairy cattle shows that 7% had antibodies suggesting prior infection, findings that today triggered enhanced testing, prophylactic (preventive) treatment, and use of personal protective equipment (PPE) from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Comments closedTag: influenza
Topic: JapanView all posts for the topic: Japan
Japan COVID deaths 14 times that of flu after guidelines lifted
More than 30,000 people in Japan died of COVID-19 in the first year after most coronavirus-related guidelines were lifted in May 2023, a figure over 14 times higher than deaths caused by influenza during the same period, government data showed Thursday.
Coronavirus infections led to 32,576 deaths during the 12 months, with those aged 65 or older accounting for 97 percent of the total, while the number of influenza fatalities reached 2,244, according to the health ministry’s vital statistics.
Comments closedTopic: Ottawa-GatineauView all posts for the topic: Ottawa-Gatineau
CHEO introduces new ‘safety measures’ for viral season, including masking requirements
Eastern Ontario’s children’s hospital is reintroducing safety measures for the viral season, including requiring people to wear a mask in clinical areas and waiting rooms and limiting the number of caregivers accompanying a patient to an appointment.
CHEO says the viral season can bring a “triple threat for children and youth” with seasonal influenza, COVID-19 and RSV.
Comments closedTopic: Northwest TerritoriesView all posts for the topic: Northwest Territories
NWT coughs up flu and Covid vaccine clinic dates
Dates for flu and Covid vaccination clinics in the Northwest Territories have been made public on the territorial health authority’s website.
The website now shows dates in November for Yellowknife, late October for Fort Smith and Hay River, and mid-October in Inuvik.
Not all communities have specific dates. Some residents are told to contact their local health centre instead.
Comments closedTopic: QuebecView all posts for the topic: Quebec
Quebec launches annual flu/COVID vaccination campaign
Quebec public health authorities on Monday launched the annual influenza and COVID-19 vaccination campaign, administering the shots first to people in long-term care before making the vaccines available for free to the general population as of Oct. 16.
And for the first time this year, medical staff will be immunizing infants up the age of 18 months against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), a seasonal pathogen that often leads to overcrowded pediatric emergency rooms during the winter. Health Canada has approved a monoclonal antibody therapy, Nirsevimab, which is now being injected into premature infants in Quebec before they leave the hospital.
Comments closedTopic: OntarioView all posts for the topic: Ontario
Updated COVID, flu vaccines arrive in London region, and health officials suggest you get both
Shipments of updated COVID-19 and flu vaccines have arrived in the London region, according to the Middlesex-London Health Unit (MLHU), with more rolling in as respiratory virus season inches closer.
A spokesperson for the MLHU said high risk populations are eligible for the shots for now, and the general population will have to wait until the end of the month to update their immunization.
Comments closedTopic: Ottawa-GatineauView all posts for the topic: Ottawa-Gatineau
Ottawa’s wastewater surveillance program extended for another year
Two months after the Ontario government pulled the plug on wastewater surveillance, Ottawa health and research institutions have teamed up to extend the program in the city for a least another year.
Calling it an innovative solution that allowed for better monitoring of COVID-19 in the community, CHEO, the CHEO Research Institute, the University of Ottawa and Ottawa Public Health announced an extension of wastewater surveillance on Friday.
In addition to monitoring COVID-19 levels in wastewater, the program monitors levels of influenza, RSV and mpox in Ottawa. The program has been extended until September 2025.
Comments closedTopic: Ottawa-GatineauView all posts for the topic: Ottawa-Gatineau
uOttawa, CHEO and OPH extend monitoring of viruses in wastewater to 2025
Comments closedOur research group is truly grateful for the overwhelming support we’ve received from the community over the past few months through emails, letters, and phone calls advocating for the continuation of our wastewater monitoring system.
We’ve gained invaluable insights into how this information is essential for community members facing health challenges, and we are thrilled to continue providing this vital service. A heartfelt thank you to OPH, CHEO, and CHEO-RI for their unwavering support.
Topic: AlbertaView all posts for the topic: Alberta
No flu or COVID-19 vaccines for medical clinics as Alberta’s fall immunization launch nears
Family doctors and nurse practitioners have been told they will not be receiving deliveries of flu or COVID-19 vaccines in time for the fall immunization program launch later this month. And it is unclear if they will get any at all.
In addition to AHS public health clinics and pharmacies, community medical clinics can administer publicly funded vaccines, including those that protect against COVID and influenza.
But shipments of vaccines — to these clinics — have stopped, jeopardizing their participation in the fall immunization campaign.
Comments closedTopic: Northwest TerritoriesView all posts for the topic: Northwest Territories
The N.W.T. now has a virus ‘dashboard’ so you can see COVID-19, flu and RSV trends
Data collected by wastewater monitoring in six N.W.T. communities is being put to a new use: an online dashboard that tracks how much COVID-19, flu and RSV are in those communities.
The N.W.T. government announced the new dashboard Wednesday in a news release. It covers Yellowknife, Behchokǫ̀, Fort Smith, Fort Simpson, Hay River and Norman Wells.
The dashboard is updated once a week on Tuesdays. For the most recent reporting period, as of Wednesday, it didn’t have data for Hay River but showed COVID-19 was still being detected to a high or moderate level in all the other communities. No detection was noted for flu or RSV.
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Topic: take actionView all posts for the topic: take action
Ontario: Contact councillors — save Ontario’s wastewater monitoring!
📣 Let municipal councillors know you want funding for wastewater monitoring to continue
✉️ Send letters to municipal councillors to voice your support for wastewater monitoring. Use our online tool to send emails.
Comments closedTopic: OntarioView all posts for the topic: Ontario
Ontario dropped wastewater testing early, with no plan for feds to step in: documents
The Ontario government abruptly ended its wastewater surveillance program earlier than planned this summer, despite having funding in place until the end of September and being warned that the move could leave gaps in crucial information for public health, internal documents indicate.
The government pulled the plug at the end of July on the globally praised program that, at its peak, covered about 75 per cent of the province.
The program, overseen by the Ministry of the Environment, provided an early warning signal to health officials about the spread of COVID-19, influenza, RSV and other infectious diseases, based on wastewater testing.
Documents obtained through access to information by the Ottawa Citizen indicate that the province’s hasty decision last spring to end the program came before Ontario’s Ministry of Health had even begun negotiations with the federal government about taking over wastewater surveillance.
Comments closedTopic: vaccinesView all posts for the topic: vaccines
There’s been a summer surge in COVID-19 cases. Should I get a booster shot now or wait until the fall for the new updated COVID vaccine?
QUESTION: I’ve heard that there’s been a summer surge in COVID-19 cases. Should I get a booster shot now or wait until the fall for the new updated COVID vaccine?
ANSWER: It’s true that there’s been a recent rise in COVID levels in Canada, according to data from waste water collection sites across the country as of the end of July.
Not so long ago, many medical experts assumed that COVID would eventually turn into a seasonal infection – similar to influenza.
Comments closedTopic: OntarioView all posts for the topic: Ontario
Ontario has a globally praised system for monitoring diseases through wastewater. So why is the province shutting it down?
For the past three years, Alexandra Johnston has started her work day by reaching for the pickaxe in the trunk of her car.
It is her tool of choice for prying open manhole covers – a task she demonstrated with practised ease last week while on a tour of her wastewater sampling regimen in Toronto.
Wearing a surgical mask and gloves, Ms. Johnston dragged the heavy cover aside, then grabbed hold of the fishing line secured underneath. After hauling up a few metres of line, she displayed her catch: a dripping wet tampon she had placed there the day before.
Her teammate, Claire Gibbs, quickly moved in with a prelabelled plastic bag to capture the sewage-laden sample. Using scissors, Ms. Gibbs deftly snipped the line, sealed the bag and stowed it away in the trunk as part of that day’s delivery.
Comments closedTopic: OntarioView all posts for the topic: Ontario
‘Really unfortunate:’ Public health losing tool that tracks emerging threats in infectious diseases
York Region stands to lose reliability in its warning signs for population-wide COVID-19 and influenza cases as provincial wastewater surveillance ends, public health said.
The Ontario government announced it is ending the program, which allowed public health units to track COVID-19 in wastewater sampling sites across the province, on July 31.
York Region associate medical officer of health Dr. Sarah Erdman said the tool was very useful to help inform public health decisions.
“Given tighter testing eligibility for COVID-19 and influenza, wastewater surveillance provided helpful information about the burden of disease and community transmission among the general population,” Erdman said. “It also provided an early warning of surges ahead of an increase in cases and hospitalizations; without wastewater data, York Region will be unable to reliably obtain these estimates moving forward.”
Comments closedTopic: avian fluView all posts for the topic: avian flu
Finland to start bird flu vaccinations for humans, in world first
Finland plans to offer preemptive bird flu vaccination as soon as next week to some workers with exposure to animals, health authorities said on Tuesday, making it the first country in the world to do so.
The Nordic country has bought vaccines for 10,000 people, each consisting of two injections, as part of a joint EU procurement of up to 40 million doses for 15 nations from manufacturer CSL Seqirus (CSL.AX).
The European Commission said Finland would be the first country to roll out the vaccine.
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