News

SWPH investigating illnesses at a high school staff event in St. Thomas

Southwestern Public Health has been working closely with Thames Valley District School Board to investigate a group of illnesses from a catered staff event at Parkside Collegiate Institute on April 8th. Approximately half of the nearly 100 faculty who attended developed gastrointestinal symptoms shortly after the event took place. No severe illnesses were identified, and students were not present at the event.

Food samples from the caterer found no evidence of bacterial contamination, such as...

Dog bite incident in St. Thomas on April 12th

Southwestern Public Health has been notified of a dog biting incident.

The incident took place on April 12, 2024, at the intersection of Glenwood Street and Oakmont Street in St. Thomas, ON, between 7:48 - 8:00AM.

The victim was walking on the sidewalk of Glenwood Street and was bit when two dogs and their owner passed by. One dog is described as a medium sized husky and the other, a black and white dog with blue eyes.

Public health seeks information about these dogs in order to assess for risk of...

8 Blacklegged ticks submitted to SWPH since March 1

Southwestern Public Health is reminding residents to be aware of ticks after a sharp rise in Blacklegged tick, or Deer tick, submissions to the health unit since March 1.

Over the span of two weeks, 8 ticks submitted for identification to the health unit were Blacklegged ticks which can carry the bacteria that causes Lyme disease. In comparison, only 1 Blacklegged tick was submitted to public health the entire month of March in 2023.

“We tend to think of ticks as a warm-weather pest, yet ticks...

Prevention is key when it comes to measles

Rise in measles cases in Canada prompts timely reminder to residents of measures to prevent measles

Amid a rise in measles cases in Canada, Southwestern Public Health is reminding local residents of measures to prevent the spread of the highly infectious viral infection.

“The majority of current cases in Canada are linked to international travel. However, some regions have reported cases that are not linked to travel, which is concerning,” says Dr. Ninh Tran, Medical Officer of Health at...

Dog bite incident in St. Thomas

Southwestern Public Health is seeking help to identify two dogs involved in a bite incident in St. Thomas this week.

The incident took place on February 27 2024 on Lockes Avenue in St. Thomas, ON, near Confederation Drive between 3:40 and 3:50PM.

The victim was walking east on Lockes Avenue and was bit when two dogs and their owner passed in the opposite direction. The two dogs are described as a yellow or white medium-sized curly-haired dog that resembled a Golden Doodle, and a brown...

SWPH Announces Bernia Martin as New Chair

Media Release

January 29, 2024

Bernia Martin Elected Chair of Southwestern Public Health Board of Health

Stephen Molnar and Catherine Agar were also welcomed to the local board of health as its newest provincial appointees

Last week, at the first Southwestern Public Health Board of Health meeting of 2024, Oxford County Councillor Bernia Martin was elected Chair of the now thirteen-member Board, and Councillor Grant Jones, County of Elgin, was elected Vice Chair.

Martin was elected Councillor of the City of...