Disease Watch

In our region, we travel a lot for sports, work, visiting and shopping.  If there’s increased illness in one community, it will soon be in many.  The Northwestern Health Unit is tracking gastrointestinal, respiratory illnesses and outbreaks for each community in our region.

Infection control recommendations in all communities at all times:

• Schools and Daycares: Use “Daily Cleaning” schedule found in Communicable Disease Guidelines for Schools
  

• Workplaces: Implement and follow policies such as cleaning often-touched surfaces daily, ensuring hand hygiene is available to all staff and clients, encouraging staff to stay home at the beginning of illness that is likely contagious

• Healthcare facilities: Follow routine environmental cleaning practices, ensure access to hand hygiene and monitor staff, patient and visitor practices, ill staff should stay home as per facility policy

• Sports teams: Encourage all team members clean hands often, avoid shared equipment, cups/straws, towels, etc.; encourage ill team members to stay home when first sick to avoid spreading illness to others

Infection control recommendations during periods of increased activity

• Schools and Daycares: Use “Enhanced Cleaning” schedule found in Communicable Disease Guidelines for Schools
• Workplaces: increase frequency of cleaning often-touched surfaces
• Healthcare facilities: increase frequency of cleaning often-touched surfaces
• Sports teams: ensure all team members clean hands often, avoid shared equipment, cups/straws, towels, etc.; ill team members should stay home when first sick to avoid spreading illness to others
  

Gastrointestinal and Respiratory Activity
Updated March 1, 2012

As reported by Community & Healthcare partners:

Atikokan:
Gastrointestinal:        No reports of increased activity 
Respiratory:               No reports of increased activity

Dryden:
Gastrointestinal:        Reports of increased activity
Respiratory:               No reports of increased activity

Ear Falls:
Gastrointestinal:         No reports of increased activity
Respiratory:                No reports of increased activity

Emo:
Gastrointestinal:         Reports of increased activity
Respiratory:                No reports of increased activity

Fort Frances:
Gastrointestinal:         No reports of increased activity
Respiratory:                Reports of increased activity

Ignace:
Gastrointestinal:         No reports of increased activity
Respiratory:                Reports of increased activity

Kenora:
Gastrointestinal:         Reports of increased activity
Respiratory:                Reports of increased activity

Pickle Lake:
Gastrointestinal:         Reports of increased activity
Respiratory:                Reports of increased activity

Rainy River:
Gastrointestinal:         No reports of increased activity
Respiratory:                No reports of increased activity

Red Lake:
Gastrointestinal:          Reports of increased activity
Respiratory:                 No reports of increased activity

Sioux Lookout:
Gastrointestinal:          Reports of increased activity
Respiratory:                 No reports of increased activity

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No reports of increased activity: The Northwestern Health Unit has not received reports of increased school, daycare or workplace absenteeism, increased ER visits or telehealth calls due to gastroenteritis or respiratory illness.

Reports of increased activity:  The Northwestern Health Unit has received reports of increased school, daycare, and/or workplace absenteeism and ER visits and/or telehealth calls due to gastroenteritis and respiratory illness.

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Seasonal Flu Shots:
The seasonal flu vaccine will be available from the Northwestern Health Unit in mid-October. 
Call the Northwestern Health Unit Flu Hotline for more information: 1-866-468-2240