PHO Connections – October 2026

Our new Hand Hygiene Program has launched! This new evidence-based and theory-informed program is designed to help health care organizations achieve and sustain improvements in hand hygiene practices. It includes an Implementation Guide and practical resources focused on education, environmental supports, habit formation, team-based problem solving and auditing. Together, these resources help organizations reinforce when and how to clean hands, address barriers within the care environment, support consistent daily practices and engage teams in local improvement. This new program replaces the Just Clean Your Hands (JCYH) program.

The launch of this new program is aligned with this year’s National Infection Control Week (NICW), which takes place from October 19-23, with the theme, IPAC: Powered by You, which recognizes the important role infection prevention and control (IPAC) professionals, health care workers and frontline staff play in preventing infections and supporting safer care. Explore all of our IPAC resources on our website.

You can also attend one of our upcoming PHO Rounds sessions, for which registration will open shortly:

• Trends and Insights from IPAC Lapse Investigations Supported by Public Health Ontario | Tuesday, October 20 (12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET). IPU credits will be awarded for participation.
• Introducing PHO’s Modernized Hand Hygiene Program: Evidence-Informed Strategies for Improvement | Wednesday, October 21 (12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m. ET). No IPU credit will be awarded for this session.

PHO Respiratory Virus Resources

2026–27 Season Resources

We have updated our respiratory surveillance resources to support monitoring of respiratory virus activity throughout the 2026-27 respiratory season.

Highlights include:

• A new 2026–27 Respiratory Season Resources webpage, bringing together surveillance data, reports, guidance documents and educational resources in one convenient location.
• The Ontario Respiratory Virus Tool has been updated for the 2026-27 respiratory virus season with several enhancements, read our news post for a more detailed overview.
  

Upcoming Learning Opportunities

Join PHO Rounds this fall to learn more about respiratory virus surveillance and seasonal respiratory virus activity:

• September 28, 2026 | PHO Rounds: Respiratory Season 2026-27, Part 1: Surveillance and Testing of Respiratory Pathogens in Ontario
• October 8, 2026 | PHO Rounds: Respiratory Season 2026-27, Part 2: Overview of Seasonal Respiratory Virus Immunizations in Ontario

Influenza Genomic Surveillance in Ontario: 2025–26 Season

A new Influenza Genomic Surveillance in Ontario: 2025–26 Season report, which provides data on influenza whole genome sequencing (WGS) performed at PHO’s laboratory. Intended for use by public health professionals, this report describes the genetic characteristics of influenza strains circulating in the province from August 24, 2025 to May 23, 2026.

Updated Interactive Tools and Data

We have updated several of our interactive tools with the latest Ontario data and new features to make it easier to monitor trends and support evidence-informed public health action.

• Infectious Disease Trends in Ontario (IDTO): The Annual Details section now includes new 2025 data for existing diseases, refreshed data for 2016 to 2024 and the addition of C. auris infections, which became a disease of public health significance in 2025. Updated technical notes and a user guide are also available.
• Immunization Data Tool: The Vaccine Safety tab now includes 2025 data, refreshed data from 2016 to 2024 and a new feature that allows users to view vaccine and adverse event data over time. Also available is an updated user guide, technical notes and a new infographic summarizing adverse events following immunization reported after vaccines administered in 2025.
• Substance Use and Harms Tool: New indicators are available for commercial tobacco, cannabis and vaping, along with updated opioid, stimulant, benzodiazepine and alcohol-related morbidity and mortality data. 

Blastomycosis Fact Sheet

PHO has released a new fact sheet to provide accessible information about blastomycosis, a fungal lung infection. The resource explains how exposure can occur, common symptoms, who may be at higher risk of severe illness, when to seek medical care, and ways to help reduce the risk of infection. It is designed to help people better understand blastomycosis and support early recognition of symptoms. Check it out now.

Online Water Testing Portal

Though the warm weather is coming to a close, it is never too late to remind residents who reply on private drinking water sources to stay consistent with regular free water testing, and to re-test after major weather events. PHO’s free Water Testing Portal helps keep testing simple: clients submit their details online, then access their report online quickly and securely when it’s ready. It’s an easy way to keep records too as reports can be downloaded before the season wraps up. Paper submission and reporting remain available, but online access offers a convenient option for timely results when they are needed the most. If you rely on a private drinking water source, please take a minute to complete a short, anonymous survey about your experience submitting water test requisitions and accessing test results.

Public Health Emergency Management Resource Inventories

We have published two new products to support public health emergency management planning and capacity building. An Inventory of Public Health Planning Resources provides resources for designing, conducting and evaluating all-hazards emergency preparedness exercises. An Inventory for Public Health Capacity Building provides an overview of courses and learning modules related to public health emergency management and workforce development. Together, these resources can support public health practitioners, emergency management professionals and organizational leaders in strengthening preparedness planning, training and response readiness. Access the inventories to learn more about resources that can support emergency preparedness planning.

Infographic: Sports-related Concussions in Ontario Youth

Sports-related concussions are an important injury concern among Ontario youth. Public Health Ontario’s new infographic, Sports-Related Concussions in Ontario Youth: What Parents, Coaches, Teachers and Athletes Need to Know, highlights key findings from recent Ontario concussion surveillance data. The infographic summarizes the burden of sports-related concussions among youth, identifies groups at higher risk and provides information to support concussion awareness among parents, coaches, teachers and athletes. Read the infographic to learn more.

Experiential Learning in Undergraduate Public Health Education

Our recent synopsis explores how experiential learning—through internships, service learning, simulations, and community-based projects—can help undergraduate public health students build practical skills and prepare for future careers.

The review points to benefits for student engagement, professional development, and workforce readiness, while also identifying opportunities to strengthen evaluation and long-term impact measurement. Read the synopsis to learn more.

Surveillance Reports

• SARS-CoV-2 Genomic Surveillance in Ontario
• Measles in Ontario
• Legionellosis in Ontario
• Mpox in Ontario
• Invasive Group A Streptococcal (iGAS) Disease in Ontario

News

Our News page features posts on a variety of public health topics. Our most recent posts include:

• Research in Action: RSV Immunization Shows Strong Protection for Infants
• 2026-27 Enhancements to the Ontario Respiratory Virus Tool
• Investigation Highlights How a 2024 Listeria Outbreak in Canada Was Linked to Pasteurized Plant-Based Beverages

Research Publications

Our recent research publications on a variety of public health topics include:

• Laboratory evaluation of the MedMira Multiplo Complete Syphilis (TP/nTP) Antibody Test
• Appropriateness of Antibiotic Use for Individuals >65 Years of Age: A Population-wide Analysis
• Sexually Transmitted and Blood Borne Infection Syndemics in Ontario: A Population-Based Retrospective Study of iPHIS Data (2013-2023)
• Uptake of influenza, pneumococcal, and COVID-19 vaccines among people living with HIV: Findings from the Ontario HIV Treatment Network Cohort Study
• Changes in the proximity of alcohol outlets to schools after the introduction of convenience store alcohol sales in Ontario, Canada: A descriptive study
• Chronic hepatitis E and Medicopsis romeroi coinfection in a Canadian renal transplant recipient: a case report
• Barriers and facilitators to Ontario’s E-Scooter program: Applying the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) to identify policy implications
• Detection of Plasmodium falciparum malaria by 16S rDNA testing in pericardial fluid from a blood antigen and microscopy negative patient
• Acceptability of oral health care: a scoping review of reviews to inform framework development
• Exploring the relationship between respiratory syncytial virus and asthma using calendar time at birth as a source of quasi-random variation
• Establishment of Epidemiological Cutoff Values against Purpureocillium lilacinum
• HPV vaccine effectiveness against prevalent HPV by age, years sexually active before vaccination, and HIV status in gay, bisexual, and other men who have sex with men, 2019-2021
• Public health unit perspectives on challenges, barriers, and lessons learned from Ontario’s 2024-2025 measles outbreak: A mixed-methods survey
• Effectiveness of nirsevimab against RSV-related hospitalizations in Ontario and Quebec, 2024-2025
• Mind the Gap: A Cross-Sectional Study of Antimicrobial Stewardship Program Resources and Practice in Ontario Hospitals
• Variability in Hospital-Onset Bacteremia in Ontario
• Characterizing trends and patterns in benzodiazepine-related toxicity deaths in Ontario: A descriptive cross-sectional study

Events

• October 13: PHO Rounds: Fostering Trust through Risk Communication During Respiratory Pathogen Emergencies: Evidence-Informed Considerations for Public Health
• October 15: PHO Rounds: Celebrating 40 year of the Ottawa Charter Part 2: Moving Health Promotion Upstream
• October 20: PHO Rounds: Trends and Insights from Infection Prevention and Control Lapse Investigations Supported by Public Health Ontario
• October 21: PHO Webinar: Introducing Public Health Ontario’s Modernized Hand Hygiene Program: Evidence-Informed Strategies for Improvement
• October 28: PHO Webinar: Project STEPP (Skills Training and Education for Public Health Professionals): Findings from a Public Health Workforce Training
• November 12: PHO Rounds: The Return of Measles: Lessons from Canada’s Largest Outbreak in Decades

Stay Informed:

We’re always adding new sessions and opportunities. Visit our Events page regularly to see what’s coming up next!