In This Issue - January 2025

• Exciting Update: Our Newsletter Gets a New Look and Name!
• Messages from our Medical Team
  • Dr. Azim Kasmani, Medical Officer of Health
  • Dr. Jessica Jackman, Associate Medical Officer of Health 
• Announcements
  • Join the Primary Care Advisory & Liaison (PCAL) Group
  • Respiratory Surveillance

Exciting Update: Our Newsletter Gets a New Look and Name!

We are thrilled to unveil the newly rebranded Public Health Pulse newsletter!

This new title emphasizes our commitment to delivering essential updates to physicians, primary care providers, and allied health professionals alike. While the name has changed, our promise remains the same: to provide you with timely, relevant information at the end of each month. We’re excited for you to continue receiving the valuable insights you’ve come to expect!

What to Expect:

• Up-to-date clinical information
• Key trends in the medical community
• Disease surveillance data insights
• Promotion of primary care education events
• Reviews of community programs and services that benefit your patients

We value your input! If you have suggestions or would like to see specific topics covered, please reach out - simply hit reply! Your feedback helps us keep this newsletter relevant and helpful.

Thank you for being an essential part of our public health community!

Messages from our Medical Team

Dr. Azim Kasmani, Medical Officer of Health at Niagara Region Public Health

As we prepare for upcoming changes to Ontario’s Public Health Standards in 2026, Niagara Region Public Health conducted a comprehensive review of our programs to ensure we meet the evolving health needs of our community. This review, involving input from staff, program managers, and benchmarking against other health units, has led to several key structural changes. Below are some updates on how these changes may affect you and your teams.

Key Updates:

• Consolidated Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) Team: We’ve integrated all IPAC activities under a single team in the Environmental Health division. This new structure, led by one manager, will enhance coordination, particularly in settings like long-term care and retirement homes. Case and contact management will remain with the Infectious Diseases team in Clinical Services.
• Unified Public Health Outreach Team: Our outreach teams have been restructured to improve service delivery to vulnerable populations. The new Public Health Outreach Team, which includes Nurses, Community Health Brokers, and other personnel, will enhance collaboration and care for those facing systemic barriers.
• Infant and Child Development Program Transition: As announced in November, the Infant and Child Development Program will transition to the Niagara Children’s Centre in April 2025. The Centre’s expertise will ensure a smooth transition and better services for families.

Continued Support: Your primary point of contact remains our Physician and Primary Care Engagement Advisor. We are committed to supporting you as we continue our shared efforts to improve community health.

These changes aim to enhance service delivery, and we look forward to achieving our shared goals in 2025 and beyond. Thank you for your ongoing collaboration.

Dr. Jessica Jackman, Associate Medical Officer of Health at Niagara Region Public Health

In December 2023, I joined Niagara Region Public Health (NRPH) as Associate Medical Officer of Health. Before joining NRPH, I served as Regional Medical Officer of Health with the Nova Scotia Health Authority and as Regional Medical Officer with Indigenous Services Canada – Atlantic Region. In addition to my work at NRPH, I am an Assistant Professor with the Northern Ontario School of Medicine’s Division of Clinical Sciences, where I support the Public Health and Preventive Medicine residency program.

My approach to my public health work is collaborative in nature, and I am committed to continuing to work this way in 2025. One of my goals for this year is to continue to build relationships with physicians and primary care providers in the community to improve health outcomes in Niagara, particularly as it relates to vaccination rates and managing communicable diseases.

A Look Back at 2024: Collaborative Public Health Efforts

As we reflect on our work in 2024, I want to express my sincere gratitude to all healthcare providers for their continued collaboration with NRPH. Together, we’ve addressed several key health challenges, with a strong focus on vaccination and disease prevention.

Key Highlights:

• Measles Preparedness: We strengthened early detection systems and raised awareness about vaccination, particularly for international travelers, which helped reduce measles risk and protect populations at high risk.
• Vaccination Coverage: Through collaboration with primary care providers, we worked to address vaccination catch-up for school age children. Thanks to combined efforts, vaccination rates saw substantial improvements. This is essential in preventing outbreaks and reducing school disruptions.
• Pertussis Response: In response to a cluster of pertussis cases, we collaborated with primary care providers to ensure timely reporting of suspect cases, testing and vaccination, which helped limit the spread of pertussis in the Niagara Region.

Looking ahead to 2025, I’m eager to continue working together to protect and promote the health of individuals living in Niagara. Thank you for your unwavering collaboration, proactive measures, and commitment to improving public health.

Join the Primary Care Advisory & Liaison (PCAL) Group

Niagara Region Public Health’s (NRPH) Primary Care Advisory and Liaison (PCAL) Group is recruiting for three new Leads (family physicians and nurse practitioners). The PCAL Lead has year-round commitments, amounting to an annualized one-half day per month (4 hours) and an annual stipend is provided. To request more details on the position or to express interest, please contact the Physician and Primary Care Engagement Advisor.  

When asked about what makes PCAL different from other leadership opportunities that exist in Niagara, Dr. Matt Greenway, Co-Chair for the group said "PCAL formed during the COVID-19 pandemic to improve two-way communications and collaboration between NRPH and primary care and ensure efficient sharing of information during a time of rapid change. This group has significantly evolved since its formation. The group now focuses on a few public health priorities each year where there is opportunity to improve implementation and support efficiencies in a primary care setting".

Dr. Greenway also added “if you have an interest in community health issues affecting Niagara, I encourage you to consider joining the PCAL committee. Input from PCAL has a direct and measurable effect on local issues and the group strives to provide tangible, practical solutions to everyday health problems we see in practice, such as the rise of vulnerable children or sexually transmitted infections”.

One of the Co-Chairs, Dr. Kasmani or Dr. Greenway would be happy to answer any questions you have about this group - hit reply to this email to connect.

Respiratory Surveillance

• Public Health Ontario’s most recent respiratory laboratory surveillance data indicates activity for influenza is moderate
• Provincially, Influenza A is the most commonly circulating virus amongst samples tested (based on percent positivity)
• In Niagara, there have been 303 cases of influenza this season and 7,569 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.

Medical Advisories & Memos

• MEDICAL ADVISORY: January 24 - Implications for Children Previously Immunized with Oral Polio Vaccine
• MEMO: January 23 - New Disease of Public Health Significance- Candida auris (C.auris)
• MEMO: January 8 - 2025 Immunization Record Review Timelines ​​​​​  
• MEMO: January 13 - Changing Transmission Dynamics in Mpox Cases ​​​​​  

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