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Stratford area health officials expand assessment clinics, vaccinations as heavy flu season continues

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Health-care officials in Perth and Huron counties are expanding the scope of the region’s COVID-19 assessment centres as they attempt to cut down on unnecessary visits to the Stratford area’s busy emergency rooms.

Originally established as an option for symptomatic test-seekers interested in seeing a doctor earlier in the pandemic, the region’s three assessment centres in Stratford, Goderich and Grand Bend are now being rebranded as COVID, cold and flu care clinics.

Selena Hazlitt, the director of the Huron Perth and Area Ontario Health Team, said Thursday that the move – happening at the request of Ontario Health, the crown agency overseeing much of the province’s health-care system – means increasing capacity at the clinics in order to ease the burden mild and moderate cold and flu cases are having on local hospitals.

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“We want to provide options, especially for non-rostered patients, someone who doesn’t have a family physician,” Hazlitt said, “and also remind people who do have a family physician that their first point of contact for mild and moderate symptoms is their family doctor.

“Otherwise, we absolutely encourage them to go to the emergency department or call 911.”

Health-care officials began making doctors available at the region’s COVID-19 centres in the fall of 2021, but this year’s cold and flu season has hit particularly hard. Unlike last year, the early arrival of the flu and a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) to which kids are especially vulnerable is currently squeezing the province’s hospitals and pediatric centres.

The Huron Perth Healthcare Alliance, a group of administrators that oversee hospitals in Stratford, St. Marys, Clinton and Seaforth, offered a social media update this week on the impacts this cold and flu season is having locally.

According to a thread on Twitter, 27 patients have been admitted with influenza, including 13 who were six years of age or younger, since the beginning of November. Another 22 patients were admitted with RSV, including 16 within that age range. At the same time, 21 patients tested positive for COVID-19, including one younger than six.

“Our emergency departments are busy,” the post said before encouraging people to get vaccinated, wear masks in indoor public spaces, and stay home when they get sick. “We are seeing a lot of sick children.”

Meanwhile, Huron Perth public health announced this week it is extending the availability of flu shots at local COVID-19 vaccine clinics until the end of December.

The health unit began offering flu shots at those clinics in mid-November and “has seen good uptake,” according to a press release. Anyone aged five and older who is receiving a COVID-19 vaccination can also receive a flu shot if they wish, but the health unit not offering flu shots on their own at those clinics.

“I strongly recommend that everyone six months and older get a flu shot, especially as we head into the busy holiday season,” said Dr. Miriam Klassen, the region’s medical officer of health. “Influenza is a serious illness that can lead to severe outcomes to the very young, the very old and those who are immunocompromised. The flu shot is your best defence against the flu.”

A list of area COVID-19 vaccination clinics for the month of December is available online at hpph.ca/getvaccinated.

Besides making changes to the region’s assessment centres, the Huron Perth and Area Ontario Health Team has also launched a new webpage aimed at helping patients, families and caregivers navigate colds, RSV, flu and COVID-19.

Learn more at hpaoht.ca/pfc-resources.

“Viruses and other illnesses are running rampant this winter and our health-care system is seeing a large influx of emergency department visits that may be unnecessary,” said Dr. Kim Gilmour, the local Ontario Health Team’s primary care clinical lead. “Most respiratory illness including colds, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus and COVID-19 can be managed at home without the need for prescription medications.

“Together we can slow the spread of respiratory illnesses in Huron Perth and area, while removing pressure from the health-care system.”

cmontanini@postmedia.com


Actions you can take before heading to an emergency department with cold and flu symptoms:

  • Call your family doctor to discuss symptoms to determine if you need to visit your doctor or the emergency department.
  • Access virtual urgent care – appointment costs are fully covered with an Ontario health card.
    • For adults and children: Book an appointment via urgentcareontario.ca
    • For children: Book an appointment with London Health Science Centre’s     Children’s Emergency Department at lhsc.on.ca/emergency-department or call 519-685-8735 between 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Use Health Connect Ontario
  • Book an appointment at a COVID, Cold and Flu Care Clinic.
    • COVID, Cold and Flu Care Clinics (CCFCCs) are for patients with moderate or worsening respiratory symptoms, or patients directed by their health-care provider to visit for care.
    • These clinics offer access to assessment, testing and treatment without going to a hospital. If you can’t be seen by a family doctor, these clinics are a great option.

Goderich: 519-612-2320

               Grand Bend: 519-238-2362 x1 or visit gbachc.ca

               Stratford: 519-272-8210 x 2747

SOURCE: Huron Perth and Area Ontario Health Team

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Measles case reported locally turns out to be negative: health unit

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NEWS RELEASE
SIMCOE MUSKOKA DISTRICT HEALTH UNIT
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On March 26, the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) was notified by Public Health Ontario’s (PHO) laboratory that due to laboratory error, the case of measles that had been lab-confirmed positive on March 12, based on symptoms and a positive urine measles laboratory result by PHO’s laboratory, is in fact negative for the measles virus.

“With this new information of the negative lab result, we believe that that individual was not infected with measles and that there has not been any public exposure to measles resulting from this individual’s illness,” said Dr. Charles Gardner, medical officer of health. “We recognize that notifying the public of what we believed to be a positive measles case in our area created worry, anxiety and disruption for some, and we regret this.

“We do know that, despite best efforts, on rare occasions laboratory errors can occur. We are working closely with the PHO’s laboratory to do all that we can to ensure that such an incident does not occur again.”

Measles is a highly contagious viral infection that spreads very easily through airborne transmission. The measles virus can live in the air or on surfaces for up to two hours.

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Symptoms of measles begin seven to 21 days after exposure and include fever, runny nose, cough, drowsiness, and red eyes. Small white spots appear on the inside of the mouth and throat but are not always present. Three to seven days after symptoms begin, a red, blotchy rash appears on the face and then progresses down the body.

The risk of transmission to those vaccinated with two doses is low, and when it does occur tends to show a reduction in the severity of these symptoms.

“Although we are relieved for the individual involved, and for all Simcoe-Muskoka residents, that this case has now been confirmed as negative, we know that measles is still active in Ontario at this time and the potential remains for new cases to arise, especially given the increase in Ontarians travelling to areas in the world that have higher numbers of measles cases,” said Dr. Gardner. “This is why we continue to advise individuals to keep up to date with their routine immunizations, including measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination.”

The risk of measles is low for people who have been fully immunized with two doses of measles vaccine or those born before 1970; however, many children have been delayed in receiving their routine childhood immunizations and people who have not had two doses of measles vaccine are at higher risk of contracting the disease.

People who do get sick usually recover without treatment, but measles can be more severe for infants, pregnant women, and those with compromised immune systems. Possible complications include middle-ear infections, pneumonia, diarrhea, or encephalitis (swelling of the brain) and occasionally death in the very young. Even individuals who are up to date with the measles vaccine should watch for symptoms of measles for 21 days after exposure.

For more information about measles, please visit smdhu.org or call Health Connection at 705-721-7520 or 1-877-721-7520, Monday to Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. to speak with a public health professional.

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Kate Middleton Not Alone. Cancer On Rise For People Under 50, Say Experts

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Kate Middleton revealed on Friday that her cancer was discovered after she received abdominal surgery

London:

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When Catherine, Princess of Wales, revealed she was being treated for cancer last week, part of the shock was that an otherwise healthy 42-year-old has a disease that mostly plagues older people.

However, researchers have been increasingly sounding the alarm that more and more people under 50 are getting cancer — and no one knows why.

Across the world, the rate of under-50s diagnosed with 29 common cancers surged by nearly 80 percent between 1990 and 2019, a large study in BMJ Oncology found last year.

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The researchers predicted the number of new cancer cases among younger adults will rise another 30 percent by the end of this decade, with wealthy countries particularly affected.

The increase in cases — and soaring global population — means that the number of deaths among under 50s from cancer has risen by nearly 28 percent over the last 30 years.

This occurred even as the odds of people of all ages surviving cancer have roughly doubled over the last half century.

Shivan Sivakumar, a cancer researcher at the UK’s University of Birmingham, called it an “epidemic” of young adult cancer.

Since Kate Middleton revealed on Friday that her cancer was discovered after she received abdominal surgery earlier this year, Sivakumar and other doctors have spoken out about the uptick in younger cancer patients they have been seeing at their clinics.

While breast cancer remains the most common for people under 50, the researchers expressed particular concern about the rise of gastrointestinal cancers — such as of the colon, pancreas, liver and oesophagus — in younger adults.

Colon cancer is now the leading cause of cancer deaths in men under 50 in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. For women, it is number two — behind only breast cancer.

One high profile case of colorectal cancer was “Black Panther” actor Chadwick Boseman, who died at the age of 43 in 2020.

Why is this happening?

“We just don’t have the evidence yet” to say exactly what is causing this rise, Sivakumar told AFP, adding it was likely a combination of factors.

Helen Coleman, a cancer epidemiology professor at Queen’s University Belfast who has studied early onset cancer in Northern Ireland, told AFP there were two potential explanations.

One is that people in their 40s were exposed to factors known to cause cancer — such tobacco smoke, alcohol or being obese — at an earlier age than previous generations.

She pointed out that the “obesity epidemic” did not start until the 1980s.

Sivakumar felt that at least part of the puzzle could be explained by obesity.

However, there is “another wave” of under-50 patients who are neither obese nor genetically predisposed still getting cancer, he emphasised, adding that this could not be put down to “statistical chance”.

The other theory, Coleman said, is that “something different” has been going on with her generation.

Fingers have been pointed out a range of possible culprits — including chemicals, new drugs and microplastics — but none have been proven.

Some have suggested that so-called ultra-processed foods could be to blame. “But there’s very little data to back any of that up,” Coleman said.

Another theory is that the food we eat could be changing our gut microbiome.

While there is nothing conclusive yet, Coleman said her own research suggested that cancer causes changes to the microbiome, not the other way around.

Anti-vaxx conspiracy theorists have even tried to blame Covid-19 vaccines.

This is easily disproven, because the rise in young adult cancer has taken place over decades, but the vaccines have only been around for a few years.

What can be done?

To address the rise in younger colorectal cancer, in 2021 the US lowered the recommended age for screening to 45. Other countries have yet to follow suit.

But the researchers hoped that Catherine’s experience would remind people at home that they should consult their doctor if they sense anything is wrong.

“People know their bodies really well,” Sivakumar said.

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“If you really feel that something isn’t right, don’t delay — just get yourself checked out.”

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Almost 3,000 students suspended in Waterloo Region over immunization issues

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Close to 3,000 children attending elementary school across Waterloo Region were suspended from school on Wednesday morning for not having up-to-date immunization records.

The region says Waterloo Public Health suspended 2,969 students under the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA).

For several months, the region has been campaigning for people to get their children’s vaccinations up to date, including sending letters home to parents on a couple of occasions, warning that students’ records needed to be up to date or they would be suspended.

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It announced in January that 32,000 students did not have up-to-date records: 22,000 elementary students and 10,000 high school students.


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“We have made remarkable progress from the original 27,567 immunization notices we sent to parents in November and December 2023,” Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, medical officer of health, stated.

“Since that time, we have resolved more than 24,500 outdated vaccination records, providing students with valuable protection against these serious and preventable diseases.”

The high school students still have a few weeks to get their records up to date or else face suspension.

The ISPA requires students to have proof-of-vaccination records for diphtheria, polio, tetanus, pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella (chickenpox) and meningitis, which must be on file with public health.

Public health says caregivers whose children are suspended will need to book an appointment at regionofwaterloo.ca/vaccines for clinics, which will be held in Cambridge and Waterloo on weekdays.

“Given the high number of suspensions, it may take several days before you can be seen at an appointment and return your child to school,” a release from the region warns.

“Record submission and questions must be done in person to ensure immediate resolution.”

The last time suspensions over immunizations were issued was in 2019, when 1,032 students were suspended.

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