News/Canada/London

Ontario's Ministry of Health has announced the first recorded death of a measles patient from the current outbreak that started in October. Dr. Kieran Moore, chief medical officer of health, issued a statement Thursday saying a southwestern Ontario infant has died after being born prematurely and infected with the highly contagious virus through the mother.Moore offered few other details.Southwestern Public Health, which covers Oxford and Elgin counties, confirmed the child was from a community in their coverage area."The infant contracted the virus before birth from their mother, who had not received the measles, mumps and rubella [MMR] vaccine," Moore wrote. "While measles may have been a contributing factor in both the premature birth and death, the infant also faced other serious medic...

WARNING: This article references sexual assault and may affect those who have experienced​ ​​​sexual violence or know someone impacted by it.Some rape crisis centres are reporting a big jump in calls since the start of the high-profile trial of five former world junior hockey players accused of sexually assaulting a woman in a London, Ont., hotel room in 2018.At the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Waterloo Region, there's been a 25 per cent spike in the number of women asking for help or to talk about their own experiences with sexual violence, said Karley Doucette, the centre's education and communications manager. "We're seeing a little bit of everything on the support line," she said. "We have survivors in the community who are retraumatized by what they're reading and seeing in the ne...

A month after the start of the high-profile sexual assault trial of five former junior hockey players in London, Ont., advocates against gender-based violence are using the proceedings to teach young men about consent and their responsibilities as role models for others. "I think for young men and for hockey players, they're watching what these five defendants have gone through and they won't want to be in that position," said Allison Preyde, the manager of prevention and education at Anova, the gender-based violence centre in London. "They don't want to be dragged through that to put their careers on the line so we're having conversations about how to make situations safer and what situations aren't worth the risk."Former hockey teammates Michael McLeod, Carter Hart, Alex Formenton, Dillo...

London's largest employer will need to make tough decisions as it continues to grapple with the fallout of years of instability, bloated management and growing need for medical care, a review of the organizational structure of the London Health Sciences Centre (LHSC) has found. The review, done by an outside healthcare consultant at the request of provincially-appointed supervisor David Musyj, paints a bleak picture of the region's largest hospital — an organization that lags behind similar centres in its use of technology, faces a $150 million operating deficit, and has been embroiled in scandal and "massive" leadership turnover in the last decade. "LHSC is currently in a very difficult financial position and faces significant operating challenges every day. While all hospitals in Ontario...

It's been 25 years since the Walkerton, Ont., tainted water tragedy nearly killed her daughter, and Trudy Fraser still does not feel comfortable drinking tap water."You lose that trust when you see people you know who got sick and passed away," she said. "That's why I still drink bottled water. It's stayed with us."Many in this town of 5,000 roughly 150 kilometres north of London, Ont., vividly recall the effects of the Victoria Day weekend in 2000, when a massive rainstorm washed water contaminated with deadly E. coli bacteria from a nearby farm field into one of the wells that fed Walkerton's water supply. Seven people died, 2,300 people got sick, and an inquiry followed, exposing how funding cuts had gutted provincial oversight of drinking water.  Seven people died and 2,300 became ill ...

The measles outbreak continues to spread across the province, with cases climbing in Elgin and Oxford counties. Southwestern Public Health is reporting 65 additional cases on Thursday, bringing the total to 451 for the region since Oct. 30."This sharp rise in cases may be concerning to the community. However, the majority of these cases are part of a group of cases we are investigating that are linked to one another," said Dr. Ninh Tran, medical officer of health for Southwestern Public Health. "This is a good example of how quickly measles can spread in groups where there are unvaccinated individuals," he said, noting linked cases can be from exposure in large households or gatherings. Last week, the health unit posted 28 new cases, signalling the ongoing outbreak continues."The key messa...

A London woman injured in a car crash says she's left with no choice but to pay to see a doctor in the United States after waiting almost two years for a diagnosis from an Ontario spine surgeon.Sydney Gesualdi was rear-ended at a red light in July 2023, after which she was initially diagnosed with whiplash and tissue damage. In the weeks that followed, the 25-year-old lost the ability to walk, started having trouble swallowing and speaking, and had numbness in her face and limbs. "None of these symptoms have gone away, and it's been almost two years," Gesualdi said. "I'm 25 and I can't walk."She now has to use a wheelchair and wears a neck brace at all times. Gesualdi's family physician has referred her to eight doctors at spinal clinics across the province, but so far, she's been denied a...

Outside the Southwestern Public Health (SWPH) building, St. Thomas resident Cemon Aswathi sighed with relief after booking her 17-month-old son Nathan for the second dose of a vaccine that protects against the measles.  "We booked it in advance just to be protected more," said Aswathi. "It's difficult since he's very young and it's very easy to catch, so it's a frightening situation when children are suffering."The region, spanning across St. Thomas and smaller townships and municipalities in Oxford and Elgin counties, has accounted for about 40 per cent of measles infections reported in Ontario over the last six months. Thirty-two new cases were recorded this past week.The current measles outbreak, which began last fall, has been the largest Canada has seen in more than a decade. Health o...

Measles case counts in Ontario continue to climb with the bulk of cases concentrated in southwestern Ontario, according to new data released by Public Health Ontario (PHO) on Thursday.Health units that oversee that part of the province account for roughly 87.6 per cent of the cases recorded since the outbreak began this past fall. It's been traced to a Mennonite wedding in New Brunswick, Ontario's chief public health doctor said, and has since spread across the country. The result's been the largest measles outbreak Canada has seen in more than a decade. Public health officials in Ontario said they've now seen a total of 816 people with the measles, the majority in unvaccinated children.The area around St. Thomas and Elgin county has seen the largest number of infections, with 32 new cases...

The health unit for Oxford County, Elgin County and the City of St. Thomas is dealing with almost half of the measles cases in Ontario with 228 people infected, predominantly in unvaccinated kids. The medical officer of health for Southwestern Public Health (SWPH) said Thursday that 28 new cases were reported this past week. He also debunked a misconception circulating in the community that getting the measles provides total immunity. "While getting measles can result in natural immunity, being infected with measles carries significant health risks, including pneumonia, brain infections and brain swelling," said Dr. Ninh Tran. "And for pregnant people, measles can cause low birth weight for the baby, preterm and miscarriage." There have been 470 measles cases since an outbreak began in Oct...