National

Wastewater testing expanding to monkeypox: Tam

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 12 Aug, 2022 10:41 AM

OTTAWA - Canada's chief public health officer says plans are underway to sift through Canadian sewage to test for and measure new health threats like monkeypox and polio.

Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic wastewater detection became a key way to track the spread of the virus.

Dr. Theresa Tam says the experts at the National Microbiology Lab have now discovered a promising approach to detect monkeypox in wastewater and will use the infrastructure developed during the pandemic look for it.

Reminder health care providers📣: #Monkeypox virus can infect anyone via close contact with a case/contaminated objects no matter their sex, race, gender or sexual orientation. Atypical presentations may occur, learn what’s unique to the 2022 outbreak:https://t.co/5sTvh1TJx6
— Dr. Theresa Tam (@CPHO_Canada) August 12, 2022

How that monitoring fits into the Public Health Agency of Canada surveillance efforts on monkeypox is not yet clear.

The Public Health Agency of Canada also intends to start testing for polio as soon as possible after United States health officials say they found the polio virus in New York City's wastewater.

Tam says wastewater detection is still imperfect but there' is a lot of innovation happening now and the public health agency is looking for the best method to help standardize the process in Canada.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Federal election cost an estimated $630 million

The official report on last September's election outlined multiple obstacles those running the election had to overcome because of COVID-19, including finding people to staff polling stations.

Federal election cost an estimated $630 million

Freeland hints budget focus on economic growth

Freeland laid out the broad strokes of the spending plan as she launched the government's pre-budget consultations that will run until late February.

Freeland hints budget focus on economic growth

B.C. deputy clerk told trust payment advice: trial

The $258,000 retirement allowance that her then-boss, former clerk Craig James, received in 2012 is the largest among several payments that are subject to criminal allegations of misspending that James denies.

B.C. deputy clerk told trust payment advice: trial

No cause yet for Vancouver fire that killed three

Assistant Chief Brian Bertuzzi confirmed a child under 10 years old, their mother and grandfather were killed, while the grandmother and father suffered smoke inhalation.

No cause yet for Vancouver fire that killed three

Moderna announces full US approval for its COVID-19 vaccine

The decision was bolstered by real-world evidence from the more than 200 million doses administered in the U.S. since the FDA cleared the shot in December 2020. The FDA granted full approval of Pfizer’s vaccine last August.

Moderna announces full US approval for its COVID-19 vaccine

Ottawa protests aren't 'peaceful': critics

For two days, the downtown core of the nation's capital has been a no-go zone as trucks and crowds have snarled traffic, with some members defacing monuments and wielding signs with violent and hateful imagery. Police are also investigating what they describe as threatening behaviour toward officers, city workers and other individuals, as well as damage to a city vehicle.