The continued rise of Lyme disease in Ontario, Canada: 2017.

Background: Lyme disease is an infection caused by the spirochete and, in most of North America, is transmitted by the blacklegged tick . Climate change has contributed to the expansion of the geographic range of blacklegged ticks in Ontario, increasing the risk of Lyme disease for Ontarians.

Objective: To identify the number of cases and incidence rates, as well as the geographic, seasonal and demographic distribution of Lyme disease cases reported in Ontario in 2017, with comparisons to historical trends.

West Nile virus illness in Ontario, Canada: 2017.

Background: In Canada, the annual incidence rates of West Nile virus (WNV) illness have fluctuated over the last 15 years. Ontario is one of the provinces in Canada most affected by WNV and, as a result, has implemented robust mosquito and human surveillance programs.

Objective: To summarize and discuss the epidemiology of WNV illness in Ontario, Canada in 2017, with comparisons to previous years.

Listeria monocytogenes Associated with Pasteurized Chocolate Milk, Ontario, Canada.

In an investigation of a listeriosis outbreak in Ontario, Canada, during November 2015-June 2016, pasteurized chocolate milk was identified as the source. Because listeriosis outbreaks associated with pasteurized milk are rare in North America, these findings highlight that dairy products can be contaminated after pasteurization.

Clinical manifestations of reported Lyme disease cases in Ontario, Canada: 2005-2014.

Lyme disease (LD) is the most common vector-borne disease in Ontario, Canada. We describe the epidemiology and clinical manifestations of LD in Ontario and examine trends in the incidence of non-disseminated and disseminated LD. LD surveillance data from the integrated Public Health Information System (iPHIS) from 2005-2014 were mapped to symptoms according to syndrome groups (erythema migrans (EM), flu-like, cardiac, neurologic or arthritic) and disease stages (early localized, early disseminated or late disseminated).

Public health surveillance for the Toronto 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games.

Background: Public health surveillance for previous Olympic and Paralympic Games have been described in the literature, but surveillance for regional, multisport events on a smaller scale have rarely been explored.

Objective: To describe the public health surveillance planning, implementation, results, and lessons learned from the 2015 Pan/Parapan American Games in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

Intervention: Public health surveillance planning for the Games began two years in advance and involved local, provincial and federal partners, primarily focusing on infectious disease.

Data-driven approach of CUSUM algorithm in temporal aberrant event detection using interactive web applications.

Objective: In 2014/2015, Public Health Ontario developed disease-specific, cumulative sum (CUSUM)-based statistical algorithms for detecting aberrant increases in reportable infectious disease incidence in Ontario. The objective of this study was to determine whether the prospective application of these CUSUM algorithms, based on historical patterns, have improved specificity and sensitivity compared to the currently used Early Aberration Reporting System (EARS) algorithm, developed by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Method: A total of seven algorithms were developed for the following diseases: cyclosporiasis, giardiasis, influenza (one each for type A and type B), mumps, pertussis, invasive pneumococcal disease.

Multi-Province Listeriosis Outbreak Linked to Contaminated Deli Meat Consumed Primarily in Institutional Settings, Canada, 2008.

A multi-province outbreak of listeriosis occurred in Canada from June to November 2008. Fifty-seven persons were infected with 1 of 3 similar outbreak strains defined by pulsed-field gel electrophoresis, and 24 (42%) individuals died. Forty-one (72%) of 57 individuals were residents of long-term care facilities or hospital inpatients during their exposure period.

Assessing secondary attack rates among household contacts at the beginning of the influenza A (H1N1) pandemic in Ontario, Canada, April-June 2009: a prospective, observational study.

Background: Understanding transmission dynamics of the pandemic influenza A (H1N1) virus in various exposure settings and determining whether transmissibility differed from seasonal influenza viruses was a priority for decision making on mitigation strategies at the beginning of the pandemic. The objective of this study was to estimate household secondary attack rates for pandemic influenza in a susceptible population where control measures had yet to be implemented.

Methods: All Ontario local health units were invited to participate; seven health units volunteered.

Beyond adolescence exploring Canadian women and men's perception of overweight.

Purpose: The research literature strongly corroborates that desires and attempts to lose weight are more prevalent among women who are already within the healthy weight range than men. The development of a distorted weight perception, specifically an overestimation of one's body size, may manifest into caloric restriction and other disordered eating behaviors. However, there is no systematic process to monitor the prevalence of disordered eating behaviors in Canada.