30th Annual Bug Day 2026

THIS EVENT IS PRESENTED DIGITALLY

You must register below to be provided with a certificate of attendance. Add event ticket (below) to cart and complete the registration process. You will receive an email confirmation upon successful registration. If you are unsure if you have registered, you can check My Account, in your profile, to ensure that you have registered for the event. Registration will be open until 10:00am, October 22nd. Registrations will not be accepted past this time, no exceptions.

Important Event Information:

The virtual event begins at 8:00am, and the stream will go live 20 minutes prior at 7:40am.

If you encounter any issues with the livestream, try the following:

• Refresh your browser
• Switch to a different browser
• Try using a different device
• Plug into a wired internet connection instead of using Wi-Fi

** Registrations are not accepted post-event**

Description

Interested in the prevention and control of communicable diseases, and health issues in the community or healthcare setting? Bug Day is for you! Nationally and internationally recognized experts will present timely topics in infectious diseases and public health at Manitoba’s largest healthcare education event. Held every year during National Infection Prevention & Control Week, register below.

Objectives

By attending this program, the attendee will be able to:

• State the names of the key pathogens that have been clinically and socially relevant over the past 30 years.
• State how the determinants of health influence a persons risk for infection.
• State how to modify risk factors for the acquisition of infection.

Agenda

Bug Day 2026: Thursday, October 22, 2026

8:00   Land Acknowledgment – Chris Christadolou, MD, Shared Health

8:05   Introduction to Bug Day/Grand Rounds – John Embil, MD, Winnipeg Regional Health Authority

8:15   Where We’ve Been, Where Are We Going? – Joss Reimer, MD, Public Health Agency of Canada

8:30   In Public Health We Trust! – Brent Roussin, MD, Manitoba Health

8:45   What is on the Horizon? – Ziad Memish, MD Alfasal University, Saudi Arabia

9:00   Q & A

9:15   The Ongoing Threat of Neisseria meningitidis – Tim Hilderman, MD, Manitoba Health

9:30   Public Health in Action: Shigella spp Outbreak Response in an Urban Unhoused Population – Chris Sikora, MD, Primary and Preventative Health Services, Government of Alberta

9:45   Keep Calm and Beat the Pandemic! – Lanette Siragusa, RN, University of Manitoba

10:00   Q & A

10:15   Break

10:30   All you Want to Know about Syndemics – Yoav Keynan, MD, University of Manitoba

10:45   Human Immunodeficiency Virus in Manitoba: Lessons being Learned – Ken Kasper, MD, University of Manitoba

11:00   How to Win the War Against Germs – Peter Hotez, MD, Baylor College of Medicine

11:15   Q & A

11:30   Lunch

12:00   Medical Grand Rounds: Trouble on the Horizon: The Effects of Ultra- Processed Foods on the Gut Microbiome – Heather Armstrong, PhD, University of Alberta

1:00   Canadian Nosocomial Infection Surveillance Program (CNISP): 30 Years of Success – John Conly, MD, University of Calgary

1:15   Expanding Canadian Surveillance for Antimicrobial Resistance – Kelly Choi, MSc, Public Health Agency of Canada

1:30   Canadian Surveillance for Symptomatic Urinary Tract Infections in Long-Term Care Facilities in Canada –  Jessica Bartoszko, PhD, Public Health Agency of Canada

1:45   Q & A

2:00   Evolving Diagnostics for Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease: A Thirty‑Year Journey –  Stephanie Booth, PhD, National Microbiology Laboratory

2:15   Microbiology in Action: Microbiological Emergency Response Team –  Kym Antonation, National Microbiology Laboratory

2:30   Tick Tock Tick: Time to Wake Up to Lyme Disease –  Heather Coatsworth, PhD, National Microbiology Laboratory

2:45   Q & A

3:00   Break

3:15   Q Fever – The Fog Comes on Little Cat Feet –  Thomas Marie, MD, Dalhousie University

3:30   Case Studies in Travel Medicine: Always Expect the Unexpected! –  Philippe Lagacé-Wiens, MD, Shared Health Manitoba

3:45   Malaria Vaccines: Life Saving but not for Everyone –  Pierre Plourde, MD, Winnipeg Regional Health Authority

4:00   Q & A

Note: Topics and speakers may be subject to change

Questions about this event please contact Carolyn Garlinski CDGarlinski@hsc.mb.ca