News

SWPH CEO encourages inclusion, kindness during Pride

June 15, 2023

Belonging and inclusion are essential for healthy, vibrant communities.

Southwestern Public Health stands in solidarity with those promoting love, inclusivity, and kindness through events like Pride. And we are bolstered by those who speak up and speak out when they witness hateful acts taking place in our communities.

Health equity is created when individuals have a fair opportunity to reach their fullest health potential. Income, race, gender, sexuality, and education all play a...

‘High risk’ air quality expected in Elgin County and Oxford County

Ontario's Air Quality Health Index forecasts a high risk to air quality on June 7 and 8 in the region 

Smoke from ongoing forest fires in Quebec and northeastern Ontario has impacted the air quality in several regions of Ontario, including in Elgin County and Oxford County.

On June 6, Environment Canada issued a special statement for Elgin County to advise of the risk of smoke pollution. This statement was also issued for Oxford County on June 5.

As of 1PM on June 7, the Ontario Air Quality Health...

Bird from SWPH Region Tests Positive for West Nile Virus

May 31, 2023

Bird from Southwestern Public Health Region Tests Positive for West Nile Virus Protect yourself from infected mosquitoes by using bug spray with DEET and cleaning up breeding sites

Public Health Ontario has reported that the first bird to test positive for West Nile Virus (WNV) in Ontario this year was found in the region served by Southwestern Public Health.

Birds testing positive for WNV are an indicator of the presence of WNV in the environment as birds can get the virus from the...

Dog bite incident in Port Stanley

Southwestern Public Health is seeking help to identify a dog that bit someone in Port Stanley in early May.

The incident took place at Little Creek Park (109 Old Field Line) between 11AM and 1PM on Sunday, May 7, 2023.

The dog is described as a Dachshund and was small, with a solid brown coat, short hair, with no spots or patches. The owner had two Dachshund dogs while at the park. One of the dogs escaped its leash and bit the victim.

Identifying the dog and confirming its vaccination status allows...

Southwestern Public Health pauses COVID-19 data dashboard

More than 190,000 annual visits to COVID-19 dashboard underscores desire for local data; will transition to respiratory virus report this fall

Since 2020, Southwestern Public Health has published a COVID-19 data dashboard to inform residents of local cases, hospitalizations, outbreaks, intensive care admissions, and deaths resulting from COVID-19. More than 190,000 unique visitors visited the dashboard annually.

Recent changes to provincial data collection and limited testing eligibility have...

Parents Encouraged to Get Kids Caught Up

Media Release

March 6, 2023

Southwestern Public Health encourages parents to get their kids caught-up with routine childhood immunizations

High levels of participation in routine childhood vaccination keeps schools – and communities - safe and healthy for everyone.

Southwestern Public Health is urging parents and caregivers of school-aged children to make updated vaccines a priority over the coming months.

“We know that the past couple of years have been difficult for families. Competing priorities,...