New Brunswick’s RSV season is underway with 11 confirmed cases so far, but any seniors interested in getting the new vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus will have to pay for it themselves.
Meanwhile, no decision has been made yet on the use of a new antibody injection to protect babies from serious illness caused by the virus.
The Department of Health is aware Health Canada approved Arexvy — the first RSV vaccine for people aged 60 and older �— in August, said spokesperson Sean Hatchard.
“However, at this time, New Brunswick will not be providing a publicly funded RSV vaccine,” he confirmed in an emailed statement.
Seniors ‘really concerned’
That’s “not acceptable,” according to Cecile Cassista, the executive director of the Coalition for Seniors and Nursing Home Residents’ Rights.
She wrote to Health Minister Bruce Fitch, deputy minister Eric Beaulieu and Kathy Bockus, the minister responsible for seniors, last week, calling on the province to fund the vaccine, after hearing from a number of seniors who are “really concerned they can’t afford to pay” the estimated $270.
“Let’s not wait until this virus takes control like COVID did. This government needs to take the lead,” Cassista wrote on Oct. 16.
Cecile Cassista of the Coalition for Seniors and Nursing Home Residents’ Rights says many seniors are already cutting back on their prescription medications because they can’t afford the increased cost of living. (Submitted by Cecile Cassista)
RSV is a common respiratory virus most children contract by the age of two. It causes a mild cold-like illness for most people but can be severe for people aged 65 and older, infants and people who are immunocompromised, according to Health Canada. It can result in hospitalization and even death.
“This is a highly contagious respiratory disease, and I really think that every step the government [can] take to prevent our aging population from being ill from this is highly important,” said Cassista.
I think they need to go back to the drawing board and certainly revisit this situation.– Cecile Cassista, Coalition for Seniors and Nursing Home Residents’ Rights
Still, Cassista said it’s “disheartening” to hear New Brunswick is not going to be more proactive, particularly since it ranks among the best in the country for its influenza vaccine program.
New Brunswick provides a high-dose flu shot, designed to give seniors a stronger immune response, and better protection against the flu, free of charge to those aged 65 or older.
“I think they need to go back to the drawing board and certainly revisit this situation,” said Cassista.
At the very least, she argues, the province should cover the cost for seniors with respiratory problems.
Awaiting NACI recommendations
The National Advisory Committee on Immunization, known as NACI, has not yet issued its recommendations for the RSV vaccine, Hatchard, of the Health Department, noted.
“Once we review these recommendations and other information, we will have an opportunity to revisit the decision,” he said.
Nirsevimab, also known by the brand name Beyfortus, is not a vaccine, but is given by one injection.
“At this time, no decision has been made on the use of nirsevimab in New Brunswick,” said Hatchard. “NACI guidance for nirsevimab is only expected to be published in August 2024.”
There is no RSV vaccine for children, but there are two kinds of antibody injections approved for babies, one of which is available in New Brunswick to infants considered at high-risk for RSV infection. (Martha Irvine/Associated Press)
New Brunswick does offer palivizumab, another antibody drug injection, also known by the brand name Synagis, to infants at high-risk for RSV infection, based on provincial guidelines and NACI guidance, said Hatchard. NACI does not recommend palivizumab for healthy babies.
Palivizumab has to be injected about once a month — up to four times — during RSV season to remain effective.
Monitoring RSV closely
The Department of Health will be monitoring the RSV situation “closely,” said Hatchard.
Infectious disease experts have said the surge in RSV cases last fall and winter was due in part to the lifting of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions, such as masking and distancing, which had prevented infections in the previous years, so many children were exposed to RSV for the first time.
Eleven New Brunswickers have tested positive since the respiratory season began on Aug. 27, including one during the week ending Oct. 7, according to the latest figures posted by the Public Health Agency of Canada.
Ages, hospitalizations, deaths not reported
Nearly a year ago, Dr. Yves Léger, then-acting chief medical officer of health, said Public Health would look “in the near future” into whether RSV should become a reportable disease in the province.
Although RSV is a reportable disease in some other provinces, such as P.E.I., it’s not in New Brunswick. That means it’s not monitored or communicated to the public in the same way as a reportable disease, such as COVID-19 or the flu, with weekly reports.
The province currently simply inputs RSV test data into the national surveillance system weekly. No information about RSV-related hospitalizations or deaths, or breakdowns by ages are available.
During a November media briefing on RSV, COVID-19 and the flu, and their impact on the hospital system, Léger told reporters, “we’ll certainly be looking at that in the near future to see if we should be considering adding that in.”
The Department of Health is “in the process of conducting a review” of the Public Health Act and its regulations, according to Hatchard.
He did not respond to questions about when the review began or why it has taken this long.
“We will be able to share details of the review, including any changes to reportable diseases, once it is finalized,” he said. He declined to provide an estimate of when that might be.
Symptoms to watch for
In Canada, the RSV season typically begins in October or November and lasts until April or May.
Symptoms often begin two to eight days after exposure to the virus and may include:
Runny nose.
Coughing.
Sneezing.
Wheezing.
Fever.
Decrease in appetite and energy.
In infants, the Public Health Agency of Canada says symptoms may include:
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.
