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In This Issue - April 2024
Updates and Review:
- Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 Updates
- Opioid and Safer Supply Resources for Health Care Professionals
- Navigating Addiction Programs and Services in Niagara
- Opioid Overdoses Increasing in Complexity
- Respiratory Surveillance Update
- Tick Submissions in Niagara
- World Hand Hygiene Day 2024
Educational Opportunities:
- Opioid Use in Primary Care Virtual Conference
- LEAP Long-Term Care Interprofessional Course
- Canadian Serious Illness Conversation Course
- Ask the Expert: Workshop on Schizophrenia
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 Updates
Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza H5N1 (HPAI) continues to circulate in Canada and internationally among domestic and wild birds, as well as detections in wild and domestic mammals that have had exposure to infected birds. There was also a recent human infection in the United States in an individual exposed to infected cattle. At this time, no cattle or goats in Canada have tested positive for HPAI.
According to Ontario's Chief Medical Officer of Health, the current risk to the general population is low, and the greatest risk is for occupational exposures to infected poultry, livestock, and other animals. The Canadian Centre for Occupational Health and Safety has a resource for how workers can protect themselves from HPAI.
Health care providers are asked to report any ill patient who presents with a history of potential exposure to an infected bird or animal to Public Health for further evaluation and testing, including sub-typing if influenza A positive. To report, contact the Infectious Disease program at:
- 905-688-8248 Ext. 7330
- Toll free: 1-888-505-6074
- After-hours: 905-984-3690
Poultry and swine farmers are also recommended to receive seasonal influenza vaccine.
More information on HPAI:
- Avian influenza A(H5N1): For health professionals
- Animals susceptible to H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI)
- Avian influenza in poultry
Surveillance resources:
Opioid and Safer Supply Resources for Health Care Professionals
Visit the Opioid and Safer Supply Resources webpage for:
- Links to safer supply peer support, resources, and Niagara-specific opioid use statistics
- Videos about the need for safer supply and prescribing
- Information on how to join the National Safer Supply Community of Practice to receive prescriber mentoring, access to newsletters, webinars, and discussion forums
Navigating addiction programs and services in Niagara
Local organizations have created a website for anyone seeking help with addiction.
Substance users or loved ones are guided to urgent help and available programs in the Niagara region by answering some basic questions.
Save this website to your favourites and advertise savemylife.ca to your patients and staff.
Opioid Overdoses Increasing in Complexity
Did you know?
In Ontario, nearly 30 per cent of people who died of opioid-related toxicity in Ontario during 2019 or 2020 interacted with the healthcare system the week before their death, with almost 60 per cent having a healthcare contact in the month before their death.
The illicit drug supply is unstable, with synthetic opioids becoming more unpredictable. Patients arriving at the emergency department due to opioid toxicity from illicit drugs may have also been exposed to benzodiazepines, tranquilizers, and even veterinary medications. Furthermore, new fentanyl analogues and nitazine-class opioids are emerging, with potency levels surpassing that of fentanyl by up to 100 times.
Substance use disorders are complex and recurrent. Providing resources like savemylife.ca and distributing naloxone kits to ER patients can help mitigate the impact of the drug poisoning crisis in Niagara.
Respiratory Surveillance
Surveillance Update: Influenza Activity is Lower
- Public Health Ontario's most recent respiratory laboratory surveillance data indicates activity for both influenza A and influenza B is lower
- In Niagara, there are 1,173 cases of influenza so far this season; 26,928 across Ontario
2023 - 2024 Respiratory Season
Please note: Seasonal human coronavirus refers to non-pandemic human coronaviruses.
Data source: Public Health Ontario’s Ontario Respiratory Virus Tool, data as of March 2, 2024
Niagara reports flu activity surveillance information weekly on Fridays.
For more detail on the 2023 to 2024 respiratory season, please visit Public Health Ontario’s page for the Ontario Respiratory virus Tool.
Tick Submissions in Niagara
With the mild winter and the arrival of warmer weather, it is time to focus attention on tick prevention, awareness, and identification.
How can ticks be identified?
E-Tick: Clients can submit a tick photo via the eTick mobile app or by visiting the eTick.ca website. The identification is performed by trained personnel and the results are usually returned within one business day.
It is important to remind all clients that there is no cost for the tick identification, however, ticks submitted are not tested for the bacteria that causes Lyme disease.
For information, visit the Ticks and Lyme disease webpage or call the Environmental Health Duty Officer at 905-688-8248 ext. 7590
World Hand Hygiene Day 2024
Each year, the World Health Organization recognizes World Hand Hygiene Day on May 5. This day helps raise awareness of the importance of good hygiene in health care settings, for all individuals involved in health care, as well as its direct link to overall health - for both patients and staff. When performed correctly, hand hygiene is one of the most effective ways to prevent and control the spread of communicable diseases and infections.
Public Health Ontario provides multiple resources to promote hand hygiene and share best practices in hand hygiene across health care settings:
- Best Practices for Hand Hygiene in All Health Care Settings
- IPAC Checklist for Clinical Office Practice - Core Elements. This checklist helps support clinical office practices in examining, evaluating (for example, self-assessment) and comparing their current practices using provincial recommendations. See section 4 for hand hygiene.
- Video: How to Hand Wash
- Video: How to Hand Rub
- Hand Hygiene Resources
Health care provider offices can also order hand hygiene posters from our website (see infection Prevention and Control dropdown).
Celebrating Doctors Day and Nurses Week
May 1 is recognized as Doctors Day in Ontario, and May 6 to May 12 is National Nurses Week. These dates were chosen to mark the birthday of one of Canada’s first female physicians, Dr. Emily Stowe, and the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.
We would like to take a moment to acknowledge the dedicated and compassionate care that physicians and nurses provide. Whether it be in a hospital, a clinic, a long-term care home, or a patient's home, every day in Ontario, nurses and physicians treat hundreds of thousands of patients.
Thank you for your leadership and advocacy to promote and provide high quality care for patients in our community.
Opioid Use in Primary Care Virtual Conference
SAVE THE DATE - MAY 24, 2024
This virtual conference is designed for anyone involved in the care and support of people who use opioids. This one-day event will provide you with the opportunity to learn about and discuss topics related to opioid use practices, policies, treatments, and harm reduction.
There are four key themes for this event each with multiple sessions throughout the day.
- OUD treatment across the life-span
- Serving people with complex needs
- Innovative therapeutics and protocols: Looking at the evidence
- OAT in primary care for new prescribers
LEAP Long-Term Care
LEAP™ Long-Term Care is an interprofessional course that focuses on the essential competencies to provide a palliative care approach, with case studies contextualized to the long-term care setting. It consists of online self-learning modules which take approximately 6-8 hours to complete, followed by a 6-hour interactive facilitated workshop.
This evidence-based course is created and reviewed by Canadian Palliative Care experts and is accredited through the College of Family Physicians of Canada (26.5 Mainpro+® credits) and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada (up to 13.75 hours). Upon full completion of this course, learners will receive a nationally recognized LEAP Certificate.
Register Now!
The last LEAP Long-Term Care offering under this funding agreement takes place on April 30 / May 1 2024 from 4 to 7 p.m. Eastern Time and there are only 15 seats left! To access registration instructions, click on the link below:
April 30 & May 1, 2024 4 -7 pm (9030)
Need Support? Reach out to the Pallium Canada support team at support@pallium.ca
Canadian Serious Illness Conversation
Canadian Serious Illness Conversations is a course is designed to provide health care professionals with the tools and knowledge needed to have compassionate and effective conversations with patients and their families dealing with serious illnesses. This course empowers health care professionals with a comprehensive understanding of the Serious Illness Conversation Guide©, developed by Ariadne Labs of Harvard Medical School.
Register Now!
The last Canadian Serious Illness Conversations Course offered under this funding agreement takes is taking place on April 30, 2024 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Eastern Time and there are only 12 seats left! To access registration instructions, click on the link below:
Need Support? Reach out to the Pallium Canada support team at support@pallium.ca
Ask the Expert: Workshop on Schizophrenia
Physicians and nurse practitioners who are interested in accepting patients with schizophrenia and learning more about treatment with long-acting injectable (LAI) antipsychotic medications are encouraged to attend the upcoming Ask the Expert: Workshop on Schizophrenia on May 30.
Dr. Victor Uwaifo, Chief of Mental Health and Addictions at Niagara Health, will be the expert speaker. Dr. Uwaifo oversees inpatient, outpatient, and emergency psychiatric services. Dr. Catherine Krasnik, a psychiatrist at Niagara Health, will be the session's moderator.
The objectives include reflections on challenging patient cases and identifying potential new strategies to help optimize patient outcomes.
There will also be opportunities for health practitioners to ask questions and interact with their peers about managing the treatment of adults with schizophrenia with LAI antipsychotic medication.
This event is classified as other learning activity, and attendees are not eligible for CME credits.
Please RSVP and confirm your participation by May 17, 2024 to mlon@lundbeck.com
