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The report said Ottawa Public Health's current resources are not sufficient to sustain the work required to meet the province's disease tracing protocols.
Published on June 8, 2024 • Last updated 7 hours ago • 3 min read
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Ottawa Public Health is calling on the Ontario Ministry of Health to reassess how it funds infectious disease tracking, given the spike in infection rates for several diseases. Photo by Errol McGehon/POSTMEDIA
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Ottawa Public Health is calling on the Ontario Ministry of Health to reconsider how it funds infectious disease tracking, given the sudden rise in incidence rates of several infectious diseases.
“In recent years, the workload associated with infectious disease case and contact management has increased significantly due to rising incidence rates, population growth, immigration and travel, and the emergence and spread of new diseases due to climate change,” said the report, which will be presented at an upcoming Ottawa Board of Health meeting.
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The report states that Ottawa Public Health's current resources are not sufficient to sustain the work required to meet Ontario's disease tracking protocols, “given the increasing disease rates and trends documented in this report,” adding that “infection rates are likely to continue to rise in 2024 and beyond, which is expected to place further strain on the program.”
Preventing and reducing the spread of infectious diseases through case and contact management is a “core activity” for Ottawa Public Health, which by law must report and track 70 diseases of public health significance, according to the report, including tuberculosis, Lyme disease, HIV, gonorrhea and syphilis, many of which have increased in recent years.
For example, cases of invasive group A streptococcal infection in Ottawa are up 110 per cent when comparing the average number of cases between 2017 and 2019 to 2023, the report said. During the same period, reports of Lyme disease increased by 99 per cent and HIV cases increased by 73 per cent.
Source: Ottawa Public Health
According to the report, case management involves ensuring that people diagnosed with an infectious disease receive appropriate treatment, follow-up care and support to prevent the spread of the infection to others, while contact management involves identifying and monitoring people who have come into contact with a diagnosed infectious disease to prevent further spread of the infection.
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The report said a “critical” part of infectious disease prevention and control is working with community partners, including local hospitals, community health centers and shelters, “to ensure effective testing, treatment, support and education.”
The report said Ottawa is facing a growing burden of infectious diseases for a variety of reasons, including population growth, travel and immigration, and climate change.
Ottawa is also seeing a rise in the number of people with the virus who are unable to safely isolate themselves from others or access adequate food, housing, mental health support, addiction services or primary care due to “significant social and economic barriers.”
To address these complex needs, nurses from OPH's Infectious Disease Case and Contact Management Program “are relying heavily on the expertise and resources of community partners who have limited capacity, such as isolation space in evacuation centers,” according to the report.
The report states the Ministry of Health is conducting a review of Ontario Public Health standards and related protocols and guidelines, and Ontario's Ministry of Public Health is considering funding support for infectious disease tracking and tracing as part of the review.
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Ottawa Public Health is also urging the province to accelerate development of provincial tools for documenting and monitoring infectious disease case and contact management to achieve “significant efficiencies in infectious disease case and contact management operations.”
The report is due to be presented at the Ottawa Board of Health's meeting on Monday.
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