One month into 2024, New Brunswick is already halfway to last year’s total number of deaths from severe Group A strep infections, according to the province’s acting chief medical officer of health.
New Brunswick has recorded five deaths from invasive Group A streptococcal infections in January, compared to 10 in all of last year, said Dr. Yves Léger.
Among them was Dan Wetmore, 49, of Moncton, who died on Jan. 19, after being sick for more than a week. It started with a sore throat and went on to include tiredness, body aches and vomiting, his widow Kim Wetmore told CBC.
He thought it was just the flu, she said, but then he started to get worse. He called 911 and was taken by ambulance to the hospital, where he died later that day, said Wetmore, who is urging people to go to the hospital or get tested if they’ve got symptoms of strep A.
N.B. fatality rate nearly double national figure
Invasive Group A streptococcal disease happens when the common bacteria that can cause a variety of common illnesses — such as strep throat, scarlet fever and skin infections — spreads into sterile parts of the body, such as the bloodstream or the liquid around the brain, or into soft tissue. It can cause life-threatening conditions, such as toxic shock syndrome, the rapidly worsening symptoms from failure of many different organs, and necrotizing fasciitis, more commonly known as flesh-eating disease.
New Brunswick’s fatality rate has been nearly double that this month, with five deaths out of 27 confirmed cases, as of Jan. 26, or 18.5 per cent.
WATCH | Dr. Yves Léger breaks down Strep A numbers in N.B:
Province keeping close eye on Strep A numbers: Dr. Yves Léger
5 hours ago
Duration 1:10
New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health says the province is already halfway to last year’s total number of deaths from the infection.
It’s also about double the province’s fatality rate in 2023, when 10 out of 107 confirmed New Brunswick cases died, or nine per cent.
The Department of Health did not immediately respond to a request to provide the ages of the people who have died but of the two deaths reported earlier this month, one was a child under the age of nine and the other was a person aged 10 to 59.
“It certainly is something that we are watching very closely,” said Léger.
It’s important to pay attention to symptoms, and to see a health-care provider if an illness persists, or gets worse, he said.
Symptoms of invasive Group A strep vary depending on the type of infection, but can include high fever; severe pain, swelling and redness of the affected area; dizziness and confusion; widespread red rash; and nausea, vomiting and abdominal pain.
The Department of Health has no plans to offer rapid home tests, said Léger.
“We feel that there are a number of areas where people can access testing and treatment,” he said, citing family physicians, nurse practitioners, after-hours clinics or emergency departments as examples.
Invasive Group A strep is a reportable disease in New Brunswick so cases can be tracked and contacts can be managed, says Dr. Yves Léger, the province’s acting chief medical officer of health. (Government of New Brunswick/Zoom)
Anyone who tests positive for strep A will need to be prescribed antibiotics, said Léger.
Seeking medical attention early in the course of an infection “can ensure rapid treatment, which can help prevent more severe outcomes,” noted department spokesperson Sean Hatchard.
When to seek help
Léger recommends people consider getting assessed by a health-care provider if they’re “very ill” and “going downhill really fast.”
A fever that lasts for more than three days should also trigger a visit. “Or if it goes away and then it comes back, or you’re feeling better and you again feel worse, those are signs that something’s not right,” he said.
Other concerning signs include difficulty breathing, blue lips, if a person is very sleepy or having a hard time waking up or is confused.
In addition, any signs of the skin infection, such as if an area is very red, painful, swollen, or has fluid draining from it, should also be seen by a clinician, said Léger.
His advice to parents is to follow their instincts.
“As a parent, you typically know best. You know how your child usually behaves and how they respond. And if you feel that something’s off, you know, follow your gut, go see someone, have that assessment.”
Who gets it and how?
Anyone can develop invasive Group A strep infections, but it occurs at higher rates in younger children and adults aged 65 and older, as well as in those with chronic underlying medical conditions such as diabetes, heart disease, cancer or HIV, and those who use injection drugs, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada.
The bacteria spreads from person to person through close contact with secretions from the nose or throat of an infected person, such as kissing, or through contact with infected wounds or sores on the skin.
There is no vaccine for invasive Group A strep available, but it’s important to get vaccinated against other viruses, such as COVID-19, the flu, and chickenpox, to limit the likelihood of serious infection, said Léger.
“We know that recent viral infections … does increase the risk of Group A strep. So if you’re up to date with your vaccines that can help,” he said.
The Public Health Agency of Canada has said the increase in severe Group A infections may be due to an increase in the circulation of the less serious ones, following a period of reduced incidence during the COVID-19 pandemic, noted Hatchard.
How to reduce your risk
To reduce your risk of being infected by Group A strep, Léger recommends many of the same protective measures as for other respiratory viruses, such as COVID-19 and the flu. These include wearing a well-fitted mask in public indoor spaces, staying home if you’re ill, and washing your hands regularly.
You should also avoid contact with other people’s saliva and respiratory secretions, he said. “So you know, not sharing things like straws, cups, utensils or cigarettes.”
People with cuts or wounds should be careful to keep those clean and covered.
Anyone concerned about symptoms or invasive Group A strep infections should consult with their primary care provider, call Tele-Care 811 to speak with a registered nurse, visit an after-hours clinic, contact eVisitNB, or visit their local emergency department.
The Canadian government says it will donate up to 200,000 vaccine doses to fight the mpox outbreak in Congo and other African countries.
It says the donated doses of Imvamune will come from Canada’s existing supply and will not affect the country’s preparedness for mpox cases in this country.
Minister of Health Mark Holland says the donation “will help to protect those in the most affected regions of Africa and will help prevent further spread of the virus.”
Dr. Madhukar Pai, Canada research chair in epidemiology and global health, says although the donation is welcome, it is a very small portion of the estimated 10 million vaccine doses needed to control the outbreak.
Vaccine donations from wealthier countries have only recently started arriving in Africa, almost a month after the World Health Organization declared the mpox outbreak a public health emergency of international concern.
A few days after the declaration in August, Global Affairs Canada announced a contribution of $1 million for mpox surveillance, diagnostic tools, research and community awareness in Africa.
On Thursday, the Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said mpox is still on the rise and that testing rates are “insufficient” across the continent.
Jason Kindrachuk, Canada research chair in emerging viruses at the University of Manitoba, said donating vaccines, in addition to supporting surveillance and diagnostic tests, is “massively important.”
But Kindrachuk, who has worked on the ground in Congo during the epidemic, also said that the international response to the mpox outbreak is “better late than never (but) better never late.”
“It would have been fantastic for us globally to not be in this position by having provided doses a much, much longer time prior than when we are,” he said, noting that the outbreak of clade I mpox in Congo started in early 2023.
Clade II mpox, endemic in regions of West Africa, came to the world’s attention even earlier — in 2022 — as that strain of virus spread to other countries, including Canada.
Two doses are recommended for mpox vaccination, so the donation may only benefit 100,000 people, Pai said.
Pai questioned whether Canada is contributing enough, as the federal government hasn’t said what percentage of its mpox vaccine stockpile it is donating.
“Small donations are simply not going to help end this crisis. We need to show greater solidarity and support,” he said in an email.
“That is the biggest lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic — our collective safety is tied with that of other nations.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Canadian Press health coverage receives support through a partnership with the Canadian Medical Association. CP is solely responsible for this content.
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.
The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.
Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.
“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”
The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.
A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.
Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.
“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.
Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.
The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.
“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador‘s chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says that so far this year, the province has recorded 230 confirmed cases of the vaccine-preventable respiratory tract infection, also known as pertussis.
Late last month, Quebec reported more than 11,000 cases during the same time period, while Ontario counted 470 cases, well above the five-year average of 98. In Quebec, the majority of patients are between the ages of 10 and 14.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick has declared a whooping cough outbreak across the province. A total of 141 cases were reported by last month, exceeding the five-year average of 34.
The disease can lead to severe complications among vulnerable populations including infants, who are at the highest risk of suffering from complications like pneumonia and seizures. Symptoms may start with a runny nose, mild fever and cough, then progress to severe coughing accompanied by a distinctive “whooping” sound during inhalation.
“The public, especially pregnant people and those in close contact with infants, are encouraged to be aware of symptoms related to pertussis and to ensure vaccinations are up to date,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department said in a statement.
Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination is the most effective way to control the spread of the disease. As a result, the province has expanded immunization efforts this school year. While booster doses are already offered in Grade 9, the vaccine is now being offered to Grade 8 students as well.
Public health officials say whooping cough is a cyclical disease that increases every two to five or six years.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health expects the current case count to get worse before tapering off.
A rise in whooping cough cases has also been reported in the United States and elsewhere. The Pan American Health Organization issued an alert in July encouraging countries to ramp up their surveillance and vaccination coverage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.
