Meningitis case reported in Pontiac MRC: The Outaouais Public Health Department reported the region’s first meningoccocal infection of the year May 16.

A pre-school child from Pontiac MRC was diagnosed with the infection, but the health department has refused to release the child’s name, age or address to protect the family’s privacy. The people who have been in direct contact with the child have all been contacted and referred to their family doctors for preventive treatment with antibiotics.

This isolated case of the infection is the first to occur in the Outaouais since 1998. It is not unusual for doctors to see a few cases per year in the Outaouais, though the region has been free of cases of infection for the past two years.

CT Scan ready by mid-June: After three years of fundraising, Pontiac Community Hospital will be receiving the CT scan in just a few weeks. A room has already been built for the use of the CT scan, which should be operational by mid-June. The official opening of the CT scan will be in the fall to thank all the people that helped with fundraising the project and everyone who donated money towards the project.

Two locals off to fair in B.C.: Two local students were selected to display their projects at the National Heritage Fair in Kamloops, B.C. in July.

Adrienne Plouffe, a Grade 5 student at Dr. S. E. McDowell Elementary School in Shawville, and Anthony Nugent, a Grade 5 student at Onslow Elementary School in Quyon were selected by judges from the Pontiac/Northwest Regional Heritage Fair May 11 to attend the national fair.

The students will showcase their projects on Canadian heritage at the fair. Plouffe and her partner Kylie Beck did their project on the prime ministers of Canada, while Nugent and his partners Josh Villeneuve and Charlie Mohr did their project on war cannons.