ontario regulation 495/24

made under the

Health Protection and Promotion Act

Made: November 28, 2024
Filed: December 6, 2024
Published on e-Laws: December 6, 2024
Published in The Ontario Gazette: December 21, 2024

Amending Reg. 557 of R.R.O. 1990

(COMMUNICABLE DISEASES — GENERAL)

1. (1) Subsection 4 (1) of Regulation 557 of the Revised Regulations of Ontario, 1990 is revoked and the following substituted:

(1) A director of a laboratory or a veterinarian who knows or suspects that a captive bird or birds, a poultry flock or an equid is infected with the agent of psittacosis or ornithosis shall notify the Ministry, in the case of a director of a laboratory, or notify the medical officer of health, in the case of a veterinarian.

(2) Subsection 4 (2) of the Regulation is amended by striking out “captive bird or birds or a poultry flock” in the portion before clause (a) and substituting “captive bird or birds, a poultry flock or an equid” in the portion before clause (a).

(3) Subsections 4 (3) and (4) of the Regulation are revoked and the following substituted:

(3) A medical officer of health who knows or suspects that a captive bird or birds, a poultry flock or an equid is infected with the agent of psittacosis or ornithosis shall require the owner, at the owner’s expense, to take the following steps until the medical officer of health is of the opinion that the bird or birds, poultry flock or equid is free of the infective agent:

1. Isolate or isolate and treat the bird or birds, poultry flock or equid.

2. Have a laboratory examination performed on fecal or tissue specimens of the bird or birds, poultry flock or equid.

(4) A medical officer of health shall require the owner, at the owner’s expense, to destroy the bird or birds, poultry flock or equid and disinfect the premises where,

(a) isolation and treatment are not, or are unlikely to be, effective in preventing the spread of infection;

(b) requested by the owner; or

(c) the person having care and custody of the bird or birds, poultry flock or equid has failed to isolate or treat the bird or birds, poultry flock or equid.

2. Section 5 of the Regulation is revoked and the following substituted:

5. (1) An owner or person having the care and custody of a bird or birds, poultry flock or an equid who is informed by the medical officer of health that the bird or birds, poultry flock or equid is infected or suspected of being infected with the agent of psittacosis or ornithosis shall provide the medical officer of health with information regarding the sources of the animals and any recent distribution of the animals from the premises and shall identify persons who may have become ill as a result of exposure to the animals.

(2) Where a bird or birds, poultry flock or an equid is isolated under paragraph 1 of subsection 4 (3), the owner or person having the care and custody of such animals shall notify the medical officer of health as soon as possible if any of the animals die during the isolation period and the animals shall be retained and disposed of as directed by the medical officer of health.

3. (1) Subsection 6.1 (1) of the Regulation is amended by striking out the portion before clause (a) and substituting the following:

(1) A veterinarian or director of a laboratory who knows or suspects that a captive bird or birds or a poultry flock is infected with an avian influenza virus or that one or more animals is infected with a novel influenza virus shall immediately notify the Ministry, in the case of a director of a laboratory, or notify the medical officer of health, in the case of a veterinarian, and shall provide the Ministry or the medical officer of health with such information and assistance with respect to the bird or birds, poultry flock, animal or animals as the Ministry or medical officer of health requires, including, but not limited to,

. . . . .

(2) Subsection 6.1 (3) of the Regulation is amended by striking out the portion before clause (a) and substituting the following:

(3) A veterinarian or director of a laboratory who knows or suspects that one or more definitive host animals is infected with Echinococcus multilocularis shall, within one business day, notify the Ministry, in the case of a director of a laboratory, or shall notify the medical officer of health, in the case of a veterinarian, and shall provide the Ministry or the medical officer of health with such information and assistance with respect to the animal or animals as the Ministry or medical officer of health requires, including, but not limited to,

. . . . .

(3) Subsection 6.1 (4) of the Regulation is amended by adding “definitive host” before “animals” in the portion before clause (a).

(4) Subsection 6.1 (5) of the Regulation is amended by adding the following definition:

“definitive host” means any species, particularly wild or domestic canids or felids, capable of carrying adult tapeworms in their intestines or capable of shedding tapeworm eggs in their feces. (“hôte définitif”)

4. The Regulation is amended by adding the following section:

Zoonotic Mycobacterium Tuberculosis Complex in Animals

6.2 (1) A veterinarian or director of a laboratory who knows or suspects that one or more animals is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex shall notify immediately the Ministry, in the case of a director of a laboratory, or notify the medical officer of health, in the case of a veterinarian, and shall provide the Ministry or medical officer of health with such information and assistance with respect to the animal or animals as the Ministry and medical officer of health require, including, but not limited to,

(a) the location of the animal or animals; and

(b) contact information for the owner or the person having the care and custody of the animal or animals.

(2) A medical officer of health who knows or suspects that an animal is infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex shall,

(a) determine the extent of the infection;

(b) act to prevent the spread of the infectious agent to humans; and

(c) notify the Ministry of the extent of the infection and the action being taken.

(3) Any person or persons with known or suspected exposure to an animal infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex, including exposure during any postmortem examination, shall notify the medical officer of health immediately.

(4) A medical officer of health shall require the owner or the person having the care and custody of an animal infected with Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex to destroy the animal and disinfect the premises, at the owner’s expense, if,

(a) isolation and treatment are not, or are unlikely to be, effective in preventing the spread of infection;

(b) requested by the owner or the person having care and custody of the animal; or

(c) the person having care and custody of the animal has failed to isolate or treat the animal.

(5) In this section,

“Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex” means any Mycobacterium species which could cause disease in humans including, but not limited to, M. bovis and M. tuberculosis.

Commencement

5. This Regulation comes into force on the day it is filed.