Use for health care provider alert posts (only for WordPress posts)
Situation Measles is on the rise globally, with an increase in cases being reported in Ontario and elsewhere in the world. The increases are largely due to the importation of measles by international travelers and the disruptions in immunization delivery due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Due to the increased number Read more…
Situation Several youths at a high school in Kenora received tattoos from an unlicensed tattoo artist within the school. Best practices for preventing transmission of blood-borne infections were not followed, and there is the risk of transmission of blood-borne infection. Individuals are being directed to seek assessment by their primary Read more…
Situation Northwestern Health Unit has received notice that Fentanyl has been detected in the unregulated drug supply in Manitoba region in an unexpected format: tablets, sold as counterfeit Hydromorphone. A person may be exposed to Fentanyl when using other substances. The high prevalence of Fentanyl in unregulated drugs is illustrated Read more…
Situation The city of Belleville, Ontario has declared a state of emergency due to a substantial increase in unregulated drug toxicity events in a short period of time. This follows an alert this week about a new drug in the Toronto drug supply: medetomidine/dexmedetomidine. This animal tranquilizer has been found Read more…
Situation On January 11, 2024, Manitoba Public Health reported an increase in secondary bacterial infections associated with increased circulating viral respiratory infections. Eight cases of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) have been identified since December 21, 2023. Of these cases, 6 have been among adults and the other 2 in children Read more…
Situation Manitoba and Ontario have been seeing an increase in invasive Group A Streptococcal Disease (iGAS) cases recently. A trend of higher iGAS cases post pandemic is something that is being seen in many jurisdictions, including ours. Northwestern Health Unit (NWHU) catchment area regularly has higher iGAS rates than the Read more…
Situation Northwestern Health Unit has received notice of drug alerts being issued across Ontario and neighbouring provinces in the last several weeks that report increased drug poisonings caused by fentanyl cut with benzodiazepines, xylazine, and caffeine. Opioids, benzodiazepines, and xylazine all have sedative effects. Combining any of these drugs increases Read more…
Situation As part of our fall active tick surveillance, Powassan virus was detected in 6 black-legged ticks (Ixodes scapularis) collected in the Fort Frances area. A cluster of 6 positive ticks in the same area indicates conditions for the virus to live and spread among tick populations may be occurring. Read more…
Situation Northwestern Health Unit has been seeing an increase in invasive Group A Streptococcal Disease (iGAS) cases in our region recently, with spikes in the past few months. The majority of cases have been identified in the Sioux Lookout (including Northern First Nations) and Kenora areas, but cases are occurring Read more…
Situation Northwestern Health Unit is aware that Aqua Fentanyl has been linked to multiple overdoses in Thunder Bay. The Aqua Fentanyl was related to the use of both Fentanyl (opioid) and Benzodiazepines (not an opioid). When someone uses an opioid, with or without knowing, they can overdose. Overdose symptoms What Read more…