Tag: Quebec

Quebec successfully pushes back against rise in measles cases

Published April 18, 2024

Published by: CBC News
Published on: April 18, 2024

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 closed

First Indigenous family health clinic opens in Montreal

Published April 13, 2024

Published by: CTV News / The Canadian Press
Published on: April 13, 2024
By Katrine Desautels

Montreal’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 closed

Measles case confirmed on a plane that landed in Montreal

Published April 11, 2024

Published by: CTV News / The Canadian Press
Published on: April 11, 2024

A 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 closed

Ottawa-Gatineau

Hospitalizations nudge upward in otherwise stable respiratory checkup

Published April 11, 2024

Published by: CBC News
Published on: April 11, 2024
By Andrew Foote

Ottawa 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 closed

Ottawa-Gatineau

Wildfire season: What can Ottawa expect?

Published April 11, 2024

Published by: CTV News
Published on: April 11, 2024
By Ted Raymond

Last 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 closed

Ottawa-Gatineau

Ottawa Public Library to provide free solar eclipse glasses for residents

Published March 27, 2024

Published by: CTV News
Published on: March 27, 2024
By William Eltherington

The 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 closed

L’éclosion de rougeole, un symptôme de l’hésitation vaccinale

Published March 24, 2024

Published by: Radio-Canada
Published on: March 24, 2024
By Mélanie Meloche-Holubowski

There 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 closed

Quebecers over 80 are urged to get COVID vaccine booster this spring

Published March 21, 2024

Published by: Montreal Gazette / The Canadian Press
Published on: March 21, 2024

Quebec’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 closed

Measles is highly contagious, but vaccine-preventable: A primer on recent outbreaks, transmission, symptoms and complications, including ‘immune amnesia’

Vaccination contre la COVID-19: l’INSPQ publie ses recommandations pour le printemps

Published March 21, 2024

Published by: The Canadian Press
Published on: March 21, 2024
By Katrine Desautels

The 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.

Comments closed

Measles is highly contagious, but vaccine-preventable: A primer on recent outbreaks, transmission, symptoms and complications, including ‘immune amnesia’

Published March 21, 2024

Published by: The Conversation
Published on: March 21, 2024
By Mansour Haeryfar

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 closed

Canada heading toward major measles outbreak without vaccine boost, new modelling suggests

Published March 16, 2024

Published by: CBC News
Published on: March 16, 2024
By Lauren Pelley

As 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 closed

Mask mandate reinstated in some Quebec health facilities following rise in measles cases

Published March 15, 2024

Published by: CityNews
Published on: March 15, 2024
By Miguel Fowke-Quintas

New 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 closed

Radio | Quatre ans avec la COVID longue, le témoignage d’une famille montréalaise

Published March 10, 2024

Published by: Radio-Canada / Tout terrain
Published on: March 10, 2024

Three years after the WHO declared the pandemic, this report plunges into the heart of the upset daily life of a Montreal family affected by…

Comments closed

Four years later, long COVID continues to upend lives in Quebec

Published March 9, 2024

Published by: Montreal Gazette
Published on: March 9, 2024
By Jesse Feith

Sylvie Gagnon has been struggling with the symptoms of long COVID since early 2023, when she caught the virus for a fourth time since the outset of the pandemic.

A business development manager, Gagnon has been off work ever since. Needing help with daily tasks, she’s had to move in with her son and daughter-in-law.

On the few days she manages to leave the house in Vaudreuil-Dorion, she wears sunglasses and earmuffs — the condition has played havoc with her senses, leaving her hypersensitive to light and noise. Her pressure spikes without warning. Any exercise causes extreme fatigue.

Comments closed

Deux nouveaux cas de rougeole à Montréal, pour un total de 12 au Québec

Published March 7, 2024

Published by: Radio-Canada / The Canadian Press
Published on: March 7, 2024

The 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 closed