Your monthly update from Niagara Region Public Health

Welcome to Public Health Pulse! Formerly known as the Physicians’ Newsletter, the publication was given 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!

Summer has begun and I’m pleased to share important updates and resources to support your clinical practice and public health efforts.

The June issue includes new tools for measles testing and reporting, an update on our expanded mobile dental clinic, and findings from the recent immunization record review. With warmer weather, we're also sharing information on West Nile virus, as mosquito pools typically test positive in July.

Lastly, we have included an update from our colleagues at Niagara Health regarding the referral process in accessing geriatric specialized services and Behavioural Supports Ontario.

Thank you, as always, for your dedication to improving the health of our communities.

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

In this issue - June 2025

Program Updates
• New measles diagnostic and reporting tools available
• Niagara's new mobile dental clinic
• West Nile virus reminders
• Immunization record review update
• Niagara Health update - specialized geriatric services and Behavioural Supports Ontario referrals

Educational Opportunities
• Free online prenatal education

Recent Medical Advisories and Memos
• MEMO: June 3 - Measles outbreak preparedness and response

New measles diagnostic and reporting tools available

Increased measles activity persists in many communities across Ontario, and health care providers are encouraged to continue monitoring and reporting suspected measles cases. New diagnostic and reporting tools are now available to support timely and accurate reporting:

Measles Outbreak Preparedness and Response

The Ministry of Health released a memorandum to discuss the current state of the measles outbreak and current recommendations. For more information, please refer to the June Memorandum update.

Contact Us

For vaccine related questions, call the Vaccine Preventable Disease program at 905-688-8248 or 1-888-505-6074 ext. 7396
- Use the General Vaccine Order Form to place an order for vaccine
Contact the Infectious Disease Program at 905-688-8248 or 1-888-505-6074 ext. 7330, after-hours 905-984-3690

Niagara's new mobile dental clinic

Niagara Region Public Health’s dental team is expanding Mobile Dental Services. The dental team is launching a new mobile dental clinic that will provide free preventative dental services through two government funded programs: Healthy Smiles Ontario and the Ontario Seniors Dental Care Program.

Healthy Smiles Ontario

Healthy Smiles Ontario provides free preventative, routine and emergency dental services for eligible children and youth 17 years of age and younger, who may be eligible for this program if they are residents of Ontario and are members of a household that meets the income eligibility requirements.

Services offered through Healthy Smiles Ontario include:

Dental screenings
Fluoride treatments
Cleaning
Sealants
Oral hygiene instruction

Ontario Seniors Dental Program

This free dental program for seniors provides access to routine dental care for eligible seniors. Individuals can apply for the program if they are 65 years of age or older, a resident of Ontario, meet the income requirements and have no other form of dental benefits apart from the Canadian Dental Care Plan including private insurance or dental coverage under another government program.

Services offered through the Ontario Seniors Dental Program include:

Examinations and assessments
Preventative services such as cleanings and polishings
Restorative services to repair broken teeth and cavities
X-rays

How to Connect Patients

Patients can book an appointment with the dental team by calling 905-688-8248 or 1-888-505-6074 ext. 7399.

West Nile Virus

The Niagara region typically sees its first West Nile Virus (WNV) positive mosquito pools in July and positive human cases in August. As health care providers, we encourage you to remain informed of WNV symptoms, prevention strategies, and reporting requirements.

Symptoms

Only 20% of infected people will show any symptoms, which usually appear three to 14 days after an infected mosquito bite. Most symptoms will be mild and may include:

Fever/headache
Nausea/vomiting
Body aches
Possible skin rash (below neck and above waist)
Swollen lymph glands

About one in 150 infected people will experience more severe symptoms – including headache/high fever, coma/unconsciousness, tremors/convulsions, and more. These could last several weeks or be permanent.

Prevention

It’s essential to inform patients of the best ways to reduce the risk of WNV infection. Key prevention strategies include:

Reduce standing water where mosquitoes tend to breed
Avoid mosquito-dense areas such as damp, forested and shaded areas
Wear long sleeved shirts, long pants, hats, socks and shoes
Repair damaged doors and window screens
Use an insect repellent that contains DEET or Icaridin (always follow the manufacturer's instructions)

Reporting and More Information

WNV is a disease of public health significance and reportable to the Infectious Disease Program by calling 905-688-8248 ext. 7330
For questions about WNV, call 905-688-8248 or toll-free 1-888-505-6074, ext. 7590, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
For more information about WNV, please visit our webpage

Another immunization record review ends, planning for next year begins

The suspension period for the 2024-2025 immunization record review ended on May 21 with only 194 students remaining out of 13, 719 students who received an immunization reminder notice.

Through our continued collaboration with primary care, Niagara’s compliance with the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA) increased from 80.4 per cent in January 2025 to 93.2 per cent in May 2025.

As Public Health plans for the 2025-2026 immunization record review, we continue to look for ways to improve. This includes trying to reduce the number of students involved and the number of suspensions. If you have feedback for Public Health on the annual immunization record review, please send an email to vpd@niagararegion.ca.

More Information

Contact the Vaccine Preventable Disease program at 905-688-8248 or 1-888-505-6074 ext. 7396.

Niagara Health update - Specialized Geriatric Services and Behavioural Supports Ontario referrals

As of June 3, 2025, referrals to Specialized Geriatric Services (Geriatric Medicine and/or Geriatric Psychiatry), Behavioural Supports Ontario (BSO), and GeriMedRisk for patients living in the community in the Niagara region must be directed to BSO/SGS Central Clinical Intake.

This new centralized intake process aims to improve access and coordination of care by:

Streamlining referrals through a single point of access
Preventing duplication of services
Reducing the need for patients to repeat their story
Supporting timely and equitable access to appropriate services

Health Care Provider Actions

Referrals must be directed to Central Clinical Intake via fax to 1-855-406-2163 utilizing the referral form accessible at: www.rgpc.ca/centralintake/
Ensure that referrals are signed
Delete and destroy any previous versions of referral forms

If you have questions, please contact BSO/SGS Central Clinical Intake at 905-521-2100 ext. 12221 or by email at gericentralintake@hhsc.ca.

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

FREE online prenatal education

Niagara Region Public Health offers free online prenatal classes for expectant parents in Niagara region. Classes are self-paced and range from topics covering pregnancy and birth to newborn care. Topics include:

During pregnancy

Physical and emotional changes during pregnancy
Fetal development
Medical tests and procedures
Lifestyle and environmental risks
Nutrition
Physical activity

During labour

Comfort measures, relaxation and breathing techniques for labour
Labour and delivery
Pain relief options and medical interventions, such as epidural, induction of labour, episiotomy and caesarean section

After pregnancy

Newborn care
Breastfeeding
Infant Safety
Postpartum care
Preparation for parenthood

Direct patients to self-register here: Clinics, Classes and Groups for Parents, Caregivers and Children - Niagara Region, Ontario

Medical advisories and memos

MEMO: June 13 - Measles outbreak preparedness and response

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