In this issue - September 2026

Program Updates
• Supporting Students Who Aren't Vaccinated at School
• Meningococcal Vaccine Program Transition: Correction and Reminders

Announcements
• Respiratory Surveillance

Educational Opportunities
• Delivering HIV PrEP in Primary Care Settings Webinar

Public Health Alerts
• Seasonal Respiratory Products
• First Human Case of West Nile Virus (WNV) 2026

As we enter respiratory season, this issue will include the first respiratory surveillance update for 2026/2027. By providing the latest surveillance information, we aim to provide timely insights into emerging trends across the health care system. We encourage you to review these monthly updates and continue promoting immunization as one of the most effective ways to help protect individuals and communities throughout the respiratory season.

Thank you for your ongoing commitment to the health and well-being of the Niagara community.

Dr. Azim Kasmani
Medical Officer of Health
Niagara Region Public Health and Emergency Services

Grade 7 Vaccines: Supporting Students Who Aren't Vaccinated at School

Public Health will continue to offer school-based immunization clinics for Grade 7 students in the fall and spring of the 2026-2027 school year. However, some students may:

Miss their school vaccination clinic
Prefer to receive vaccines in a primary care setting
Require catch-up vaccination in Grades 8 to 12

Health Care Provider Actions

Administer outstanding Grade 7 vaccine dose(s) to eligible patients
- Review the student’s immunization history (e.g. if hepatitis B received in infancy or combined hepatitis A and hepatitis B vaccine was received outside of school clinics) to ensure appropriate vaccine series is completed, intervals are followed, and unnecessary doses are avoided

Office Staff Actions

There is no separate Grade 7 vaccine order form. Order Grade 7 vaccines using the Vaccine Order Form for Physicians and Primary Care and they will be delivered according to your regular vaccine delivery schedule.

For more information contact the Vaccine Preventable Disease Program at 905-688-8248 or 1-888-505-6074 ext. 7396.

Meningococcal Vaccine Program Transition: Correction and Reminders

The Ontario Ministry of Health has issued a correction to the information included in the August 27, 2026 memo:

Individuals born between January 1, 1986, and December 31, 1996, were part of a temporary catch-up cohort when the Men-C-C program was introduced. They were not part of the original eligible cohort and are NOT eligible for a routine publicly funded dose of Men-C-ACYW.
Individuals who were born 1997 and later will remain eligible to receive a dose of Men-C-ACYW, if they did not previously receive a dose publicly funded

Reminder for Offices with Menactra®

If your office still has Menactra®, remember that it is authorized for use beginning at 9 months of age until 55 years of age. Do not use for younger infant doses. Instead, note the authorized age ranges below for the following Men-C-ACYW vaccine products:

Nimenrix®: infants from 6 weeks of age until 55 years of age
MenQuadfi®: infants from 6 weeks of age and older
Menveo®: infants from 2 months of age until 55 years of age

For more information, visit Qs & As for Health Care Providers: Meningococcal Vaccine Transition or contact the Vaccine Preventable Disease Program at 905-688-8248 or 1-888-505-6074 ext. 7396.

Respiratory Surveillance

Public Health Ontario’s most recent respiratory laboratory surveillance data indicates activity for influenza is low
Provincially, Entero/Rhinovirus is the most commonly circulating virus; regionally, SARS-CoV-2 is the most commonly circulating virus (based on percent positivity)
In Niagara, there have been 5 cases of influenza this season; 182 across Ontario

Niagara reports flu activity surveillance information weekly on Fridays during the respiratory season.

For more details on the 2026 to 2027 respiratory season, please visit Public Health Ontario’s page for the Ontario Respiratory Virus Tool.

Visit the Professional Development Opportunities page for in-person and online opportunities available to health care professionals in Niagara

Delivering HIV PrEP in Primary Care Settings Webinar

This Ontario HIV Treatment Network webinar will explore the evolving landscape of HIV prevention in Ontario and provide practical strategies for delivering evidence-informed, patient-centred PrEP care.

Topics will include:

Current HIV trends in Ontario
Applying the 2025 Canadian HIV PEP & PrEP Guidelines
Assessing HIV risk using a patient-centred approach
Integrating PrEP into routine primary care

Date - Wednesday, October 7, 2026 | 12:00–1:00 p.m. ET
Speaker - Dr. Patrick O’Byrne, NP, PhD

If interested in this opportunity, please register using the link below:
Webinar registration

Medical Advisories and Memos

Don't miss important communications from Public Health! Sign up to receive health care professional alerts and urgent notices.

MEMO: September 28 - Seasonal Respiratory Products
Medical Advisory: September 9 - Medical Advisory: First Human Case of West Nile Virus (WNV) 2026

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