Use for health care provider alert posts (only for WordPress posts)
Situation Northwestern Health Unit is aware that Fentanyl has been found in Crack Cocaine in the Dryden area. Crack cocaine and Fentanyl are 2 different classes of drugs. People who use crack do not always use Fentanyl or opioids at the same time. When someone uses an opioid, especially without Read more…
Situation A small number of clients accessing safer drug use supplies at the Northwestern Health Unit in Fort Frances have reported concerns that the local drug supply may be contaminated with rat poison. We do not know the accuracy of the information, nor do we know the specifics. However, rat Read more…
Situation Manitoba Health has declared a pertussis outbreak in the region of Southern Health-Santé Sud. Between January to June 23, 2023, 152 of 154 confirmed or probable cases reported to Manitoba Health have been from the Southern Health-Santé Sud region. Most cases (110/152) are in children aged zero to nine. Read more…
Situation On July 1, 2023, the Mandatory Blood Testing Act (MBTA) will be updated. With this update, any previous versions of forms relating to MBTA will need to be replaced with new forms. The use of old forms will result in delays and problems with proceeding with the action under Read more…
Situation Northwestern Health Unit (NWHU) notes that the number of suspected drug-related deaths in the last three weeks is higher than normal. These suspected drug-related deaths are not necessarily opioid related. Our confirmed opioid overdose emergency room visit data has not indicated a spike. Issue There may be increased toxicity Read more…
Situation Northwestern Health Unit has been notified that Xylazine has been found locally in the unregulated drug supply. Xylazine is not approved for human use and is typically used by veterinarians for pain relief, sedation, and muscle relaxation of large animals (referred to as horse tranquilizer). Issue Xylazine can lead Read more…
Situation There has been an increase in invasive Group A Streptococcal (iGAS) Disease cases in other parts of Ontario and in the US. Cases include a larger proportion of children under 18 than in the past and the highest rates are in those aged 0-4 and 65 and over. Increased Read more…
An Ontario resident with no travel history was recently identified as having gonorrhea that was non-susceptible to ceftriaxone and cefixime, and resistant to ciprofloxacin, penicillin, and tetracycline. The individual is a male who reported sex with the opposite sex and one sexual contact. A multi drug resistant (MDR) strain of Read more…
Situation Since January 2023 there has been an increase in confirmed pertussis (whooping cough) cases being reported in Alberta and more recently, in Manitoba. There is an increased risk of pertussis cases in northwestern Ontario due to our proximity to Manitoba, and frequent travel between the provinces. Pertussis is a Read more…
Situation Internationally, there have been reports of multi-drug resistant (MDR) gonorrhea, and there has been an Ontario case of MDR gonorrhea identified in a patient with no known travel history. This strain of Neisseria gonorrhoeae has reduced susceptibility to ceftriaxone and cefixime and resistance to ciprofloxacin, penicillin, and tetracycline. Goal Read more…