Author profile
Natalie Prystajecky, PhD, SCCM
One core function of a provincial public health laboratory is to conduct pathogen surveillance by characterizing the genetic material of microbes, also known as “fingerprinting,” to monitor circulating strains,... Read More
On 11 March 2020, the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 to be a pandemic; 4 years later, we revisit the impacts of the pandemic on provincial viral respiratory illness surveillance, led by the BC Centre for... Read More
Between November 2016 and March 2017 more than 400 individuals across Canada developed norovirus gastroenteritis associated with the consumption of BC oysters. Over 100 cases occurred mid-November in participants at a... Read More
Noroviruses are extremely contagious viruses and the leading cause of gastroenteritis worldwide. Noroviruses cause an acute illness characterized by vomiting, diarrhea, cramping, and fever. Onset of symptoms typically... Read More
Noroviruses (NoVs) are the leading cause of gastrointestinal (GI) illness worldwide. NoVs cause an acute illness characterized by vomiting, diarrhea, cramping, and fever. Symptoms most often appear between 24... Read More
In April 2009, a novel H1N1 influenza virus (pH1N1) was detected in southern USA and Mexico. It was first identified by the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control Public Health Microbiology Reference Laboratory (... Read More