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Winnipeg Free Press
5 days ago
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
HSC screening visitors to high-risk wards for measles
Manitoba's largest hospital is screening visitors to its most high-risk wards for measles as the number of cases of the highly contagious virus continue to rise. Health Sciences Centre began screening visitors to its neonatal intensive care unit, Children's Hospital, Women's Hospital and ambulatory care clinics earlier this month. Visitor screening is held away from patient care areas using an intercom, or at reception desks where a staff member will ask the visitor if they have recently had symptoms associated with measles, including a rash, a Shared Health spokesperson said Friday. 'If someone arrives at a facility presenting with symptoms of the measles virus, staff that are screening visitors consult with infectious disease physicians and infection control professionals to determine appropriate next steps,' the spokesperson said in an email. Additional restrictions were put in place at the neonatal intensive care unit, including a limit of two-visitors at a time per patient, including the infant's designated caregiver. Children under age five are not allowed to visit, except a twin of a baby admitted to the ward. Manitoba has confirmed 146 measles cases since February and nearly all were in the last three months. There were 72 confirmed measles cases recorded by the province in May and 28 confirmed and four probable cases in June. Twenty-seven cases have been recorded in July. Doctors Manitoba said the HSC decision reflects physicians' concern about the spread of measles. 'Seeing Manitoba's largest hospital take pandemic-like screening precautions should be a wake-up call to Manitobans,' said spokesperson Keir Johnson. Epidemiologist Cynthia Carr said she'd like all Manitoba hospitals to employ measles screening, and for HSC to expand restrictions for visitors under five years old beyond the neonatal intensive care unit. Young children, who account for the majority of measles cases in Canada, can develop particularly severe complications. 'I hope that this will be expanded throughout the province to high-risk settings and high-risk groups, in terms of the specific, targeted approach for exclusions,' she said. 'Because we don't want to head toward this becoming endemic again, meaning routinely transmitting in Canada. But we're at risk.' It's a rite of passage for parents to take older siblings into the hospital to meet their new baby brother or sister, Carr acknowledged, but the risk of unknowingly spreading a severe infection is especially high. She called the restrictions a 'dual opportunity' to reinforce the serious nature of measles cases while preventing transmission among high-risk people. 'Having gone through COVID-19, and people still recovering from feeling like things got too strict, that they had a lack of agency in making their own decisions… It feels like it's trying to take sort of a step approach with a continued effort (toward) relationship building, trust.' Manitoba's most recent exposure sites were in the southern region: the Winkler Walmart, Boundary Trails Health Centre and a building in the Rural Municipality of Roland. On Friday, Southern Health did not say whether administrators would implement restrictions at its hospitals. When Triangle Oasis Restaurant in Winkler was listed as an exposure site last month, co-owner Jonny Neufeld worried it would affect his business, either by a drop in customers or the virus spreading among staff. Neither happened, he said Friday: 'There's been some scares, but no measles.' He said the conversation around measles in the community has settled after a large spike of cases earlier in the summer. He still has some concern for southern Manitoba's youngest residents. 'Some people around me talk about how they don't want to get their kids vaccinated and whatnot,' he said. 'In my church, the preacher was talking about it once, (saying) you can heal naturally, of course, but there's a reason there are doctors out there, you should go see a doctor.' Manitoba isn't the first province to introduce mandatory screenings in hospital settings. In Ontario, where measles cases have exploded, visitors to the London Health Sciences Centre pediatric and women's care wards are screened for measles. They must provide proof of measles immunity or wear an N95 mask at all times. Alberta media outlets reported last week that some hospitals in the province were triaging probable measles patients to wait in ambulance bays, rather than waiting rooms. Alberta has recorded more than 1,300 infections since March. Malak AbasReporter Malak Abas is a city reporter at the Free Press. Born and raised in Winnipeg's North End, she led the campus paper at the University of Manitoba before joining the Free Press in 2020. Read more about Malak. Every piece of reporting Malak produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates. Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber. Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Yahoo
One dead after crash with moose on TCH near Whitbourne
An 18-year-old man is dead after hitting a moose with his vehicle while driving on the Trans-Canada Highway near Whitbourne, the RCMP said. Police say the crash happened on Friday, involving a SUV with two occupants. The man, who was the driver, was transported to the Health Sciences Centre in St. John's. He died on Tuesday. The RCMP did not provide details about the passenger. The crash was one of three involving moose along the same stretch of highway on Friday evening. Download our free CBC News app to sign up for push alerts for CBC Newfoundland and Labrador. Sign up for our daily headlines newsletter here. Click here to visit our landing page.
CTV News
11-07-2025
- CTV News
Watchdog investigating after man is injured falling down stairs after being taken into custody by Winnipeg police
Manitoba's police watchdog is investigating after Winnipeg police say a man fell down the stairs after he was taken into custody. Everything unfolded just before 7:30 p.m. Thursday, when police were called to an apartment in the 200 block of Bertrand Street for reports of a man in his 60s armed with an 'edged weapon.' Police said the man was suicidal. 'Police arrived at the suite and began communicating with the man through the door and established that he was still armed, refusing to come out and was threatening to kill himself,' police said in a news release. The situation turned into an armed and barricaded incident, police said, and additional units were called in to help. After around two hours, the man came out and was taken into custody. However, police said as officers were walking the man down the stairs of the building, he was able to escape and fell down the stairs. 'He sustained a serious injury as a result of the fall and was transported to hospital by ambulance. His condition remains critical.' Police contacted the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba (IIU) because of the nature of the man's injuries. The IIU said the man is receiving care at the Health Sciences Centre and is being treated for a 'possible traumatic brain injury.' The IIU has now taken over the investigation and said no other details will be shared at this time. Editor's note: The story previously said the man was arrested. It has since been changed to say taken into custody.
CTV News
11-07-2025
- CTV News
Watchdog investigating after man is injured falling down stairs following arrest by Winnipeg police
Manitoba's police watchdog is investigating after Winnipeg police say a man fell down the stairs after being arrested. Everything unfolded just before 7:30 p.m. Thursday, when police were called to an apartment in the 200 block of Bertrand Street for reports of a man in his 60s armed with an 'edged weapon.' Police said the man was suicidal. 'Police arrived at the suite and began communicating with the man through the door and established that he was still armed, refusing to come out and was threatening to kill himself,' police said in a news release. The situation turned into an armed and barricaded incident, police said, and additional units were called in to help. After around two hours, the man came out and was taken into custody. However, police said as officers were walking the man down the stairs of the building, he was able to escape and fell down the stairs. 'He sustained a serious injury as a result of the fall and was transported to hospital by ambulance. His condition remains critical.' Police contacted the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba (IIU) because of the nature of the man's injuries. The IIU said the man is receiving care at the Health Sciences Centre and is being treated for a 'possible traumatic brain injury.' The IIU has now taken over the investigation and said no other details will be shared at this time.
Global News
03-07-2025
- Global News
Winnipeg police seek suspect after 4 women sexually assaulted near HSC
Winnipeg police are looking for a suspect who is alleged to have sexually assaulted four women in a 45-minute span Wednesday night near the Health Sciences Centre (HSC). It happened between 7 and 7:45 pm, when police say a teenage girl and three HSC staff members were all assaulted by an unknown man. Around 7 p.m., a teen girl was walking in the area of Elgin and Sherbrook, when she was confronted by an unknown man and sexually assaulted. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy At around 7:12 p.m., a female staff member was walking east on William near Furby when she was assaulted. Two more female staff members were assaulted at around 7:42 p.m. and 7:45 p.m. One of them was walking in the hospital tunnels, while the other was walking south on Emily from McDermot. Story continues below advertisement Manitoba Nurses Union president Darlene Jackson says it's especially concerning that someone was assaulted in the tunnels. 'It's frightening going to work where you have to watch out for your safety getting into your workplace,' Jackson told 680 CJOB's The News. 'Now we have people that are afraid to be in the workplace and it's also frightening that the staff were not alerted to the fact that there was someone who may be on the property. That memo didn't come out until this morning.' The suspect is described as a man in his 20s, with a slim build and dark hair. He was wearing a Jets shirt and had jewelry on. Anyone with information about the suspect can call the Sex Crimes Unit at 204-986-6245 or anonymously at Crime Stoppers at 204-786-TIPS or
