I make this report at the close of a very successful alPHa conference, which was held in Windsor
June 10-12, 2007.  The conference had 110 attendees participate in a very successful program.  The program included presentations by Mr. Ron Sapsford, the Deputy Minister of Health & Long-Term Care and Marg Rappolt, Deputy Minister of Health Promotion.  A highlight of the conference was a presentation of personal reflections by Dr. Sheila Basrur, former Chief Medical Officer of Health, at the Award’s Dinner.  Dr. Basrur gave a very moving presentation on her personal challenges and the challenges of public health.  The Award’s Dinner was held at the Art Gallery of Windsor, and I have received many compliments on the venue as well as many compliments on Windsor-Essex as host.  The conference also received excellent media coverage.   I would like to thank the members of the Board who were able to attend the conference, for their participation and the many staff of the Windsor-Essex County Health Unit for their assistance in supporting the conference.  I would like to particularly thank Ms. Liz Haugh for her coordination efforts in conference planning.

Since the last Board meeting there were two significant emergency incidents in Windsor.  The first incident was a major fire on May 25, 2007 which involved a block of Wyandotte Street East.  The fire began in an autobody repair shop and resulted in a significant release of toxic smoke in the area.  The City of Windsor declared an emergency to respond to the fire.  I was in touch with Ms. Bennett by telephone and provided advice on the establishment of an evacuation area.  Ms. Bennett provided invaluable assistance to the Fire Department and other Emergency Services during the fire, and provided her public health inspection staff for the inspection of food establishments in the area.  Following the fire, a significant amount of foodstuffs had to be removed.  Some difficulty was experienced in the establishment of air monitoring and this is an issue which still needs to be resolved as similar difficulties were experienced in fires which occurred in 2006. 

The second emergency episode occurred on June 9, 2007 when a woman brought an envelope with a suspicious powder into the Emergency Room of Hotel Dieu Grace Hospital.  The possibility of anthrax contamination was raised and the Emergency Room closed while the envelope was bagged.  The patient, staff, and the Emergency Room facility were decontaminated.  Arrangements were made with the provincial laboratory to have the substance tested.  The envelope was transported by Windsor Police to the provincial laboratory that evening, and by 4 a.m. next morning, testing revealed that the substance was not of a biological nature and the emergency terminated.  The Emergency Services of Windsor and the provincial laboratory were extremely supportive in the quick resolution of this emergency problem.

The initial testing for lead in drinking water systems and private residences in Windsor-Essex noted in my last report have been completed.  The initial reports from Amherstburg showed no significant levels of lead in the Amherstburg water distribution system or in the selected residences tested.  In Windsor, no significant levels of lead were detected in the water distribution system and only one of 21 selected homes tested showed an elevated level of lead.  That test revealed a level of 20 micrograms per litre, which is above the provincial standard of 10 micrograms per litre.  The Windsor Utilities Commission is conducting follow-up testing.  The Ministry of Environment is in the process of revising its regulations regarding lead in drinking water.  These revisions will include requirements for increased testing and flushing, as well as a public information program.

The West Nile Virus program for 2007 continues.  The surveillance program for mosquito larvae has been underway since the end of May.  Larviciding began the week of June 4.  The adult mosquito surveillance program and the bird surveillance program are underway as well.  On May 28, 2007, the Health Unit conducted a media conference on West Nile virus.

The Carl Leone case continues.  Mr. Leone returned to court on May 11, 2007 and was remanded into custody for evaluation as a dangerous offender.  He will return to court on July 24, 2007 for possible sentencing.

In addition to the alPHa conference, I have attended two conferences in the past month.  The first was the International Society of Travel Medicine in Vancouver, which was held from May 20-25, 2007.  This was an excellent conference providing comprehensive background information on travel medicine.  This information will significantly assist the operation of our travel medicine clinic.  The second conference was the Great Lakes Border Health Initiative conference in Niagara from June 14-15, 2007.  The Great Lakes Border Health Initiative is a project supported by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention to improve early warning infectious disease surveillance at international borders.  Participants include border health units, the province of Ontario, the states of Michigan, Minnesota, New York, and Wisconsin.  The program this year focussed on notification and control of food-borne outbreaks.

On June 7, 2007 we received formal notification of a new provincial appointment to the Board. 
Mr. Robert Modestino, a resident of LaSalle, commences his three-year term effective June 6, 2007.  On behalf of the Board, I would like to welcome Mr. Modestino, and I look forward to meeting him at the June 21 Board meeting.

Respectfully submitted,

G. Allen Heimann, MD, MHScMedical Officer of Health

GAH:rs