Your monthly update from Niagara Region Public Health

Welcome to Public Health Pulse! Formerly known as the Physicians’ Newsletter, we gave the publication a fresh name in January 2025 to better reflect our commitment to supporting Niagara’s physicians, primary care providers, and allied health professionals with essential public health updates.

We value your feedback—your insights help us ensure the content remains useful and impactful. If you have suggestions or topics you’d like us to cover, just hit reply and let us know!

In this issue - April 2025

Program Updates
• Measles activity
• Vaccination services for students suspended from school (ISPA)
• Responding to vaccine hesitancy
• A book at 18 months? It’s more powerful than you think
• Celebrating doctors and nurses: Honouring the heart of health care

Announcements
• Respiratory Surveillance

Educational Opportunities
Recent Medical Advisories & Memos

Update on measles activity

Measles cases continue to rise across Ontario, with over 1,000 cases reported since the outbreak began in October 2024. According to the latest Public Health Ontario measles summary, this increase is largely due to continued exposure and transmission, primarily in under-vaccinated communities. Nearly 75% of outbreak cases have occurred in infants, children, and adolescents—over 95% of whom have not received measles-containing vaccination.

In Niagara, there have been 10 confirmed measles cases, all of which were epidemiologically linked. No new cases have been reported since the end of March. We are continuing to closely monitor the situation and thank you for your ongoing vigilance.

For detailed information on measles, including testing, post-exposure prophylaxis (PEP) for contacts, and reporting guidance, please refer to the March newsletter.

Vaccination services for students suspended from school (ISPA)

The suspension period for students with incomplete vaccination records began on April 23. Thanks to your ongoing support with vaccination services, we've worked together to help over 13,000 students update their vaccination information with Public Health since January. As of April 26, 670 students remain overdue, and your office may be hearing from some of these families as they work to get their child vaccinated and back to school.

Suspended students can return to school after providing updated vaccination or exemption information to Public Health. Otherwise, the last day of the suspension period will be May 21 (20 school days).

For more information, contact the Vaccine Preventable Disease program at 905-688-8248 or 1-888-505-6074 ext. 7396, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m.- 4:15 p.m.. When calling, please let us know you’re a health care provider, and we’ll prioritize your call during busy times.

Responding to vaccine hesitancy

Vaccine hesitancy is something many health care professionals encounter—but with a better understanding of the concerns behind it and the right tools in hand, these conversations can be more effective and meaningful.

To help you navigate vaccine-related conversations more effectively, Niagara Region Public Health conducted a Vaccine Hesitancy Survey from July 31 to September 30, 2024. The goal was to better understand health care professionals’ experiences and to identify what resources would be most useful when working with vaccine-hesitant patients.

Key findings from the survey include:

Fear of side effects was the most common reason for vaccine hesitancy among parents and legal guardians
Health care professionals shared that education using credible, scientific evidence was the most effective approach, followed by actively listening to understand and address concerns
One of the biggest challenges remains engaging with patients who are unwilling to accept information aimed at changing their stance on vaccines
Over 75 per cent of respondents felt they could benefit from more resources to help them respond to vaccine hesitancy effectively

To support these needs, we’ve created the Responding to Vaccine Hesitancy webpage. It includes best practices, helpful tools, and guidance to support health care professionals in navigating vaccine conversations with confidence and compassion.

A book at 18 months? It’s more powerful than you think

Want to spark a love of reading and support healthy child development—all in the time it takes to do a well-baby visit? That’s the idea behind the 18-Month Book Club! It’s a fun, meaningful way for health care providers to help build strong parent-child bonds and boost early literacy right from the exam room.

An expansion of the 18-month enhanced well-baby visit, the 18-Month Book Club is designed to promote early literacy, support healthy development, and help reduce the long-term impacts of adverse childhood experiences.

As a participant, you’ll receive practical clinical tools, key messages to guide conversations, and helpful referral resources. You’ll also get parent packages that include reading tips, developmental milestones, and an age-appropriate book to share during the visit—making it easy to encourage parents to read with their child and strengthen those early connections.

Ready to join? There are three easy ways to get started—just choose the option that works best for you:

Book a one-on-one in-person academic detailing session with a public health nurse (just 15 minutes!)
Host a team meeting/training session (approximately 30-45 minutes) for those practices that want all physicians, nurse practitioners, registered nurses to join
Complete two accredited e-learning modules (20–40 minutes each) at your convenience—participants receive a certificate upon completion

Join the 18-Month Book Club today and help turn story time into a powerful tool for healthy development.

Celebrating doctors and nurses: Honouring the heart of health care

Each May, we take a moment to recognize and celebrate two essential pillars of our healthcare community: doctors and nurses. Though each profession brings distinct expertise and responsibilities to patient care, both share a common mission—to provide exceptional, compassionate care to individuals and families across Niagara.

In Ontario, Doctors’ Day is observed on May 1, while National Nurses Week runs from May 6 to 12. These special recognition days offer a valuable opportunity to express our deep gratitude for the tireless dedication and compassion of doctors and nurses throughout Niagara.

"The strength of our healthcare system lies in the collaboration and partnership between professionals and organizations across Niagara. By working together, we ensure that residents receive the comprehensive, high-quality care they need and deserve. The partnership between Public Health and primary care is a powerful example of how this collaboration can positively shape the health of our community. I am deeply grateful for the unwavering commitment of our doctors and nurses in Niagara, whose dedication brings this shared vision to life—improving health for all."
– Dr. Azim Kasmani, Medical Officer of Health, Niagara Region Public Health

“On Doctors’ Day, we proudly recognize the more than 600 physicians at Niagara Health—and the many more across our medical community—whose compassion, expertise and dedication shape the health and well-being of Niagara every day. Our partnership with community physicians has been vital to expanding access to care, strengthening collaboration, and building a more connected health system. Thank you for your leadership, your sacrifices, and your unwavering commitment to care. We are truly honoured to work alongside you.”
– Lynn Guerriero, President and CEO at Niagara Health and Dr. Kevin Chan, Executive Vice-President, Medical; Chief of Staff at Niagara Health

To all the doctors and nurses in our community: thank you!

Respiratory Surveillance

Public Health Ontario’s most recent respiratory laboratory surveillance data indicates activity for influenza is low
Provincially, seasonal human coronavirus is the most commonly circulating virus amongst samples tested (based on percent positivity)
In Niagara, there have been 1,473 cases of influenza this season; 36,159 across Ontario

Niagara reports flu activity surveillance information weekly on Fridays. For more detail on the 2024 to 2025 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.

Medical Advisories & Memos

MEMO: April 10 - Updates - RSV Prevention and COVID-19 Vaccine Programs this Spring
MEMO: April 7 - Changes in Gonorrhea Treatment Guidance for Health Care Providers

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