The region’s health unit is expanding free access to the Hepatitis A vaccine as it monitors an ongoing outbreak of the virus in Manitoba that has made inroads into parts of Northwestern Ontario.
The Northwestern Health Unit (NWHU) said it has confirmed two cases of Hepatitis A in the Sioux Lookout Health Hub within the past eight months after not seeing a case in the region since 2011, though it states that “the overall risk to the general public in the NWHU area remains low.”
“Our catchment area is quite large, but even though we don’t have any reported cases in the Rainy River District at this time, we don’t know if the virus has been transmitted in the Rainy River District,” Shannon Brown, the health unit’s manager of vaccine-preventable diseases, told The Times.
“It would be dependent on travel and sometimes people do not exhibit any symptoms of the virus. We do not advise vaccination unless you are at risk of infection or travelling to an area of concern.”
As of June 21, 2026, there have been 826 reported cases of hepatitis A in Manitoba since September 2024, mainly spread through person-to-person contact, the health unit said Wednesday in a press release. “There have been 183 hospitalizations, eight admissions to intensive care and seven deaths since September 2024.”
Originally made available to those with a chronic liver disease, those who use drugs through injection and men who have sex with men, the free vaccination is now available to anyone who travels regularly to or has household visitors from the Island Lake area (Garden Hill, St. Theresa Point, Wasagamack and Red Sucker Lake First Nations), Peguis First Nation, War Lake First Nation (also known as Ilford), Bloodvein River First Nation, Ebb and Flow First Nation, Cross Lake First Nation (Pimicikamak Cree Nation) and Tataskweyak Cree Nation (Split Lake Cree First Nation).
The vaccine is also available to anyone planning to attend or who has already attended the Manitoba Indigenous Summer Games.
Hepatitis A is a virus that affects the liver, spreading mainly through contaminated food and water or close direct contact with people who are infected. It can also spread through blood or by contact with infected stool.
Not everyone who contracts Hepatitis A will have symptoms or feel sick. Those who do may have fever, loss of appetite, dark urine, nausea, abdominal pain, overall feeling of unwell, and/or jaundice (yellowing of the skin or eyes).
Symptoms generally appear 14 to 28 days after exposure. Individuals can be contagious prior to developing symptoms, which can persist for weeks or months but usually resolve on their own.
People who already have liver disease or who are immunocompromised are at higher risk of complications from the virus.
Helpful prevention measures include:
- Washing hands thoroughly with soap and water after using the washroom or changing diapers, before preparing or eating food or after assisting someone who is ill.
- Safe food handling, including washing hands before and after preparing foods, ensuring food is properly washed and fully cooked, avoiding cross-contamination, and avoiding preparing food for others if you are feeling unwell.
- Safer drug use by using new equipment every time and never sharing equipment with others.
- Safer sex practices by always using condoms or dental dams for all types of sexual activity and getting tested regularly and with every new partner.
The NWHU recommends that if you have been to an area that has a risk of Hepatitis A and become ill or have been in contact with someone who has Hepatitis A, you should see a health care provider.
