Quebec appears to be winning its battle against the rising tide of measles after 45 cases were confirmed province-wide this year.
“We’ve had no locally transmitted measles cases since March 25, so that’s good news,” said Dr. Paul Le Guerrier, responsible for immunization for Montreal Public Health.
There are 17 patients with measles in Quebec currently, and the most recent case is somebody who was infected while abroad, he said.
Comments closedMontreal’s first family health clinic adapted to Indigenous people’s needs officially opened its doors on Friday morning.
The Native Montreal Family Clinic project, which was launched in 2021, is being led by Native Montréal to ensure the deployment and sustainability of health and social services adapted to the identity and specific needs of the Indigenous clientele in the metropolitan area.
Health Minister Christian Dubé made the announcement on Friday alongside the Minister responsible for Relations with First Nations and Inuit, Ian Lafrenière.
Comments closedA person with measles was on board a flight from Turkey that landed in Montreal on April 3, the Quebec Health Ministry and public health authorities…
Comments closedOttawa is back in high-risk respiratory territory because of an increase in new hospitalizations.
COVID-19 and RSV trends are generally seen as low in the weekly respiratory update from Ottawa Public Health (OPH).
Flu wastewater readings and hospitalizations remain very high as this flu season stretches into spring.
OPH said there were 17 new COVID, flu and RSV hospitalizations the week starting March 24, and 27 the week starting March 31.
Comments closedLast summer’s smoky skies could make a return this year, as officials say Canada is on track for a repeat of the 2023 wildfire season – the worst on record.
In Ottawa, wildfire smoke blanketed the capital several times last summer and there were multiple open air fire bans and even concerns Canada Day fireworks could trigger a blaze.
Comments closedThe Ottawa Public Library will be providing free solar eclipse glasses to residents in anticipation of a partial solar eclipse on April 8.
While supplies last, the glasses that provide proper protection for eclipse viewing will include a printed handout with safety instructions.
The City of Ottawa says it will launch the initiative on Thursday, March 28. All library branches will have total solar eclipse glasses available for the public, starting when branches open on Thursday.
Officials say quantities of glasses are limited, so branches will run out before April 8.
Comments closedThere have now been around thirty cases of measles in Quebec since the start of the year. While this number may not seem high, measles outbreaks indicate that vaccination coverage is inadequate. Interview with Ève Dubé, anthropologist and holder of the CIHR Applied Public Health Chair in the Anthropology of Vaccination Issues, INSPQ-ULaval.
Comments closedQuebec’s immunization committee is recommending a booster dose of the monovalent XBB.1.5 COVID-19 vaccine this spring to seniors ages 80 and over as well as to people who are immunocompromised or on dialysis.
The COVID-19 situation continues to evolve and certain parts of the population remain more vulnerable to the virus, the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ) said this week in publishing its vaccination recommendations.
A person vaccinated against COVID-19 is less likely to develop serious illness, but a gradual decrease in this protection is observed over a period of six months following vaccination. A booster dose is therefore necessary to maintain adequate protection, the INSPQ notes in its most recent opinion.
Comments closedThe COVID-19 situation continues to evolve and some population groups remain more vulnerable to the virus. This week, the Institut national de santé publique du Québec (INSPQ) published its vaccination recommendations for spring 2024.
A person vaccinated against COVID-19 is less likely to develop a serious illness, but a gradual decrease in this protection is observed over a period of six months after vaccination. A booster dose is thus necessary to maintain adequate protection, recalls the INSPQ in its latest opinion.
Serious complications of COVID-19 are much more common in people 80+ years of age. For this age group, about one in 30 infected people must be hospitalized. For those aged 60 to 79, the incidence of hospitalizations and deaths is lower, except for those living with a chronic disease.
Canada is seeing a resurgence of measles, with cases in the first quarter of 2024 already far surpassing the total for all of 2023. There were 12 cases last year, and more than three times that number so far in 2024, with 38 reported as of March 19.
Most of these cases (28) are in Québec, and eight are in Ontario, while Saskatchewan and British Columbia have each reported one case.
As an immunologist with a focus on host-microbe interactions and antiviral immunity, I have been following recent measles outbreaks.
Comments closedAs measles cases keep appearing in more parts of the country, new projections suggest there’s a high chance Canada may experience a “sizable outbreak” — with anywhere from dozens to thousands of people infected if the disease strikes communities with low vaccination rates.
As of Friday, at least 31 cases of measles have been reported so far this year across Canada, according to a CBC News tally of provincial and regional figures released by public health teams.
That’s already the largest annual total since 2019 and more than double the number of cases reported last year, as medical experts fear the number will rise while more Canadians travel in and out of the country this month for March break.
Comments closedNew data shows Quebec with 21 measles cases as of Friday 2 p.m., including 15 in Montreal.
According to the CIUSSS de l’Est, health centres in the eastern part of the island have responded by reinstating mask mandates and launching a vaccination campaign in elementary schools.
Notre-Dame and Sainte-Justine Hospitals are also among those requiring patients to wear masks to stop the spread.
“I feel like it’s necessary, especially to protect those who are more vulnerable,” said Montrealer Selena Ringwald. “Masking really doesn’t bother me, even as someone who has breathing issues after having COVID.”
Comments closedThe Quebec Ministry of Health reports on Thursday two more cases of measles, bringing to 12 the total number of confirmed infections in the province since the beginning of the year.
The Quebec Ministry of Health indicates that since the beginning of the year, two cases of measles have been reported in Laval, north of Montreal, and another in Mauricie–Centre-du-Québec.
The Direction régionale de santé publique de Montréal states that seven cases reported in its territory, including the two new infections, are due to transmission in the community. The other two cases are related to international travel.
The regional agency says it is intensifying its efforts to trace the contacts of infected people.
Authorities said last Monday that the number of cases in Quebec was worrying, noting that measles vaccination rates were sometimes as low as 30% in some schools in Montreal.
Comments closedSeventeen cases of measles have been confirmed in Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan and British Columbia — more than half of those in the Montreal area, while one Ontario case has been linked to a high school.
Quebec public health director Dr. Luc Boileau confirmed 10 cases on Monday, almost all of them involving children and making Montreal the country’s epicentre. He said only three of the cases were linked to travel outside of the country, indicating community spread in and around the city.
Public Health Ontario confirmed five cases of measles and said all but one involved travel.
Comments closedQuebec public health officials are urging people to get themselves and their young children vaccinated for measles, a highly contagious disease that is making a comeback several years after its eradication.
Quebec’s public health director Luc Boileau, Montreal public health director Mylene Drouin, and pediatrician, microbiologist and infectious disease specialist Caroline Quach-Thanh are holding a news conference in Montreal Monday afternoon.
So far about 10 cases have been detected in the province, mainly in Montreal, but Boileau warns that it could be just the beginning.
Comments closedThe fall COVID-19 vaccine cut the risk of COVID-19 illness by about half overall, and by 67 per cent for those with a previous infection, according to new research from the Canadian network that has long tracked the performance of the annual flu shot.
This is the first time the Canadian Sentinel Practitioner Surveillance Network, which is comprised of hundreds of primary care providers in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario and Quebec, produced mid-season estimates of the effectiveness of immunization against COVID-19.
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