Not just a blip in the news cycle

It wasn’t, as is said, “a good look.”

When the U.K. tabloid newspaper the Daily Mail published a report on its website last week that the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had issued a travel advisory for visitors to Manitoba, warning of a hepatitis A outbreak, there were likely audible groans in several Winnipeg offices.

The dailymail.com website gets over 35 million unique monthly visitors in the U.S. alone, making it one of the most popular news sites in the world.

So, when America’s leading public health agency issued a notice telling people to be mindful of their interpersonal interactions in Manitoba and to be vaccinated against hepatitis A before visiting, officials with tourism agencies and government ministries knew they had a job to do.

First up was responding to inquiries from news outlets, which Travel Manitoba did by pointing out it had received no inquiries from wary travellers or would-be tourists.

Louise Waldman, the agency’s vice-president of communications, pointed out that the CDC issued its lowest-level travel alert for Manitoba, Level 1 — which asks travellers to “practise the usual precautions” — and told the Winnipeg Free Press that, “Manitoba is a safe and welcoming destination.”

Manitoba Health Minister Uzoma Asagwara joined in, saying “we need to continue doing the hard work that we are doing on the ground to reach people.” A spokesperson for Doctors Manitoba likewise said, “It is important to follow public health advice, particularly in communities where the outbreak is active.”

Taking a look at the communities in which the outbreak is active, however, illuminates the heavy lifting that must be done, long after the news cycle has passed and spokespeople have mopped their brows.

Hepatitis A is a dangerous but vaccine-preventable liver infection spread by close personal contact with an infected person. As of June 4, there were 784 reported cases in the province, up by 75 from the previous month.

The outbreak began in April 2025 in northern Manitoba and has spread to several communities, with many cases linked to homeless and unhoused populations and those with connections to other outbreak communities. So far, the outbreak has resulted in four deaths, eight intensive-care admissions and 165 hospitalizations.

The warning regarding hepatitis A arrived just over a month after Dr. Brent Roussin, Manitoba’s chief public health officer, declared a public health emergency over the fact Manitoba’s HIV infection rate has increased at an alarming rate.

Examination of the populations affected by the HIV emergency and the hepatitis A outbreak shows considerable overlap.

Speaking about HIV in May, Roussin said transmission in the province is linked to injection drug use, homelessness, mental-health issues and a rise in other sexually transmitted and blood-borne infections.

Does that sound familiar?

When the HIV emergency was declared, Asagwara called for more federal support and organizations such as the Manitoba Health Coalition called for more action.

Frankly, both are needed, and not just to address the immediate public health concerns of HIV and hepatitis A.

More broadly, analysts and observers have urged all levels of government to address poverty, identifying it as the root cause of almost all the concerning health issues in Manitoba’s underclass.

As one letter-writer to the Free Press put it: “You can’t ignore social problems for decades and expect there to be no consequences.”

The consequences are coming home to roost. And the time of waiting for news cycles to fade and calling for more support has long since passed. All levels of government and all relevant stakeholders must seek solutions and act.

Because Manitoba’s multiple health crises are far more than “a bad look.”

» Winnipeg Free Press