South East Health Unit (formerly Hastings Prince Edward Public Health) Online Bulletin for Health-Care Providers

July 25, 2025

From:
Dr. Ethan Toumishey
Deputy Medical Officer of Health
South East Health Unit (formerly Hastings Prince Edward Public Health)

In this Issue:

  1. Updates to AEFI forms and fact sheet
  2. New measles information for health-care providers
  3. Prenatal home visiting support
  4. Resources to support child and youth mental health

News & Updates

AEFI forms and fact sheet updates

Please be aware that the following vaccine safety resources have now been updated by Public Health Ontario (PHO):

These resources are designed to support consistent and streamlined reporting by health-care providers.

These updates align with the updated Ministry of Health’s revised Infectious Disease Protocol, Appendix 1: Adverse Events Following Immunization (AEFIs) (publication pending) and include:

  • Integration of select COVID-19 Adverse Events of Special Interest (AESIs) into general AEFI categories.
  • Revisions to adverse event types to align with the updated national reporting form from the Public Health Agency of Canada.

Please note, the COVID-19 AESI Technical Brief will be retired on July 21. It is available upon request, please contact Communicable.DiseaseControl@oahpp.ca.

As a reminder, PHO has updated the corresponding AEFI iPHIS User Guide (publication pending).

We encourage you to review the updated materials and share them with your teams. For questions, please contact Communicable.DiseaseControl@oahpp.ca.

Updated measles information for health-care providers

Please be aware that the PHO resource Measles: Information for Health Care Providers has been updated and is now available on the PHO website.

The resource outlines key messages and information on measles for public health units and health-care providers in the context of the current measles activity in Ontario.

Key updates to this resource include:

  • Reference to the current Ontario outbreak, including the outbreak vaccination strategy implemented in southwestern Ontario. An overview of the vaccination strategy is provided in a table comparing the routine and outbreak-related measles immunizations schedules. The travel-related measles vaccination recommendations table was removed.
  • Addition of information on measles in pregnancy:
    • A brief paragraph on serology for pregnant individuals in the Serological Testing for Measles Immunity section.
    • A brief paragraph on measles immunization guidance for pregnant and breastfeeding individuals.
  • Addition of a paragraph/section for Serological Testing for Measles Immunity.
  • Updates to the Diagnosis of Measles section to include testing in the context of a measles outbreak.
  • Updated Infection Prevention and Control (IPAC) Practices related to recommendations for health-care worker personal protective equipment (PPE) to align with changes made to the PIDAC Appendix N.

Prenatal home visiting support at SEHU

The Healthy Families team at the South East Health Unit (SEHU) would like to highlight the importance of early prenatal referrals to our home-visiting programs, supported by public health nurses. 

Early prenatal enrolment is necessary to establish the therapeutic nurse-client relationship, achieve desired behaviour change, and to address health concerns before baby arrives.

According to Dr. David Olds, Nurse-Family Partnership founder: “There is a magic window during pregnancy … it’s a time when the desire to be a good mother and raise a healthy, happy child creates motivation to overcome obstacles.” 

To learn more about our home visiting programs, check out our website. If you have a prenatal client who you feel would benefit from additional support from a home visiting public health nurse, please send us a referral.

How to refer:

Complete the Healthy Families online referral form, or fax in the referral form to 613-966-4363. Please check off “Home Visiting” as the reason for referral, with any additional notes.

Free resources available to support child and youth mental health

The South East Health Unit (SEHU), the Algonquin & Lakeshore Catholic District School Board (ALCDSB), and the Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board (HPEDSB) are excited to share By Your Side, a free online resource hub for parents/caregivers. This resource, developed with input from caregivers and school mental health professionals, is designed to support mental health learning and well-being for every family.

The Hub features practical tools, including videos, information pages, worksheets, and webinars on topics such as managing stress and anxiety, understanding mental health, navigating digital technology and more. Resources are culturally inclusive, identity-affirming and tailored to meet the needs of families. 

We all have a role to play in fostering child and youth mental health. By Your Side reflects how Ontario schools are committed to working alongside families to strengthen mental health learning, well-being, and student success. Health-care providers are experts who families turn to when dealing with child/youth mental health challenges. As such, we invite you to explore By Your Side today and to share the resource hub widely with families. 

By Your Side postcards are available to you beginning in August, and include reference to key topics to support learning and strengthen mental health and well-being in every family. If you are interested in accessing copies of the postcard, please complete the By Your Side Resource Order form.

HPEDSB and ALCDSB will provide you with hard copies, free of charge until Sept. 12, 2025.

Back to Summary

Contact Information: 

To report communicable diseases:613-966-5500 x349

To report AEFI or DOPHS: Online / Fax: 613-966-1813 or CDCFAX1@hpeph.ca

Hastings Prince Edward Public Health is situated and provides services on the traditional territory of the Anishinaabe, Huron-Wendat and Haudenosaunee people.

You have received this email at from Hastings Prince Edward Public Health as a result of a request you have made or due to a service/subscription that you are registered for. While you may discontinue your subscription to this mailing at any time by pressing the unsubscribe button below, please note that this bulletin will be used to provide important updates about infectious and communicable disease.