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Showing posts from November, 2023

Commons committee calls for federal registry of breast implants

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A new Commons committee report is calling on Ottawa to launch a mandatory national breast implant registry that would gather “reliable and comprehensive data on the risk and benefits” of implants and alert patients promptly in the event of a recall.

Major Canadian cities lacking in accessibility for people with disabilities, says study

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New research suggests nearly 60 per cent of public spaces in Calgary, Vancouver and Ottawa are either inaccessible or partially inaccessible to people with disabilities.

'We were duped': Health minister vows to close 'loophole' on flavoured nicotine pouches

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Canada’s health minister says he’ll act quickly to shut down a “loophole” after Health Canada approved the sale of flavoured nicotine pouches with no restrictions on how the product is advertised or sold.

988 hotline for those facing mental health crisis launches across Canada

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Canada's 988 hotline, which gives people access to suicide prevention services via call or text, is now available in all provinces and territories, 24/7 and free of charge. Its goal is to prevent suicide.

They live near a former wood treatment plant. Now they anxiously await results of a cancer investigation

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The site of a former Domtar creosote plant in northeast Edmonton is now poised for redevelopment as residents continue to await results of an investigation into elevated rates of cancer in the area.

Ottawa Public Health urges tough anti-smoking policy that New Zealand is scrapping

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Ottawa Public Health (OPH) is calling on the federal government to follow the example of New Zealand's "smoke-free generation" law, which sought to ban cigarette sales to anyone born after 2008 for their entire lifetime.

How Canadian scientists helped uncover sexually transmitted cases of a deadlier mpox strain

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A research team made up of Canadian scientists and researchers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo has documented the first known cases of a deadlier strain of mpox spreading through sexual contact.

Time to 'think outside the box' to fix hospital staffing challenges, doctor says

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As the Yukon Hospital Corporation cuts back on some services and warns patients of possible delays — one doctor working between Vancouver and Whitehorse believes it's time to delegate more work to nurse practitioners and physician assistants.

Life expectancy fell in 2022 for 3rd year in a row: StatsCan

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Life expectancy for the average Canadian at birth has fallen from 82.3 years in 2019 to 81.3 last year.

Growing number of homeless people turning to ERs for shelter and warmth in Ontario, study says

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There's been a significant increase in the number of homeless people taking refuge in downtown Toronto emergency departments over the last few winters. A new study found that across Ontario, non-urgent emergency department visits among people who are homeless increased by 24 per cent since 2018.

NDP tells Liberals to sweeten the deal if pharmacare legislation is delayed

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New Democrats say that if the Liberal government can't honour its commitment to pass pharmacare legislation by the end of this year, it will have to enhance the legislation to deliver "more results."

Ozempic shortage has disproportionate impact on N.W.T.'s Indigenous population

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A global shortage of a drug used for Type 2 diabetes is being felt in the N.W.T. and could disproportionately affect Indigenous people.  

This commonly prescribed cancer drug was supposed to help save his life, instead it killed him

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After being diagnosed with colon cancer earlier this year, Dr. Anil Kapoor of Ontario was prescribed the common chemotherapy medication Fluorouracil. Three weeks later, he died from a toxic reaction to it. His brothers are on a mission to uncover who is most at risk and what the Canadian health-care system should do about it.

Nurse practitioner announcement leaves family physicians feeling devalued, disrespected

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A heated debate is brewing in Alberta that has implications for the future of primary care in the province.

Pregnant people, children face 'dire' health consequences from climate change, WHO warns

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Pregnant individuals face “extreme health risks from climate catastrophes,” according to a report released this week by the World Health Organization (WHO) and other United Nations agencies.

Cantaloupe recall over salmonella expands to include other fruits

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More than 100 people in the U.S. and Canada have been sickened by salmonella after eating cantaloupe or additional fruits and brands under recall.

Preston Manning's fiction made real in his Alberta pandemic report

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Before the ex-politician helmed a major review of health emergency management, he wrote about an imagined COVID commission. The reports reach many similar conclusions.

Teens vs. coats: The generational quarrel that won't chill out

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There's more than you think to the age-old debate over why generations of teenagers often refuse to zip up when the temperature goes down.

Nearly 2.5 million Canadians sign up as organ donors, thanks to tax form change

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Nearly 2.5 million Canadians have indicated they want to be organ and tissue donors, thanks to a Conservative private member's bill that lets people tick a box on their annual tax return.

China tells WHO no 'novel pathogens' detected after pneumonia clusters reported among kids

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Reports of clusters of unexplained pneumonia among children in multiple cities in China made headlines this week. Yet Chinese authorities and close watchers of the situation say the rise in illness is likely linked to known threats circulating after the country lifted public health restrictions — not a new pathogen. 

Health Canada lifts lengthy mad cow-related blood donation ban nationwide

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Canadian Blood Services says research clearly shows there is now virtually no risk of transmitting variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease through new blood transfusions.

WHO seeks details from China on respiratory illness outbreaks

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The World Health Organization has asked China for details on an increase in respiratory illnesses and reported clusters of pneumonia in children, which its China office on Thursday called a 'routine' check.

Doctors' association, nurses' union point to red flags in N.L.'s rush to embrace virtual care

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Details of the new Teladoc virtual care contract have been revealed, but health-care leaders harbour concerns about its cost, suitability and how it’s being deployed.

RSV infections surge as hospitals brace for return of 'normal' respiratory virus season

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There are early signals Canada's respiratory virus season is underway. And after a roller-coaster of viral dynamics during the COVID-19 pandemic, some say this season could mark a return to relative normalcy.

A walk-in visit could kick you off a family doctor wait-list

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An Ottawa woman says she was kicked off an Ontario waiting list for a family doctor after visiting an Appletree clinic where she says she was rostered with a family doctor without her knowledge.

Canada is moving away from Pap tests. Here's what you need to know

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Canada is now moving away from using Pap smears to screen for cervical cancer screening in favour of HPV, which is more effective and can be done at home.

Loneliness is as bad for you as smoking, research shows. But the stigma stops people getting help

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The World Health Organization has declared loneliness a global health threat — as bad for your health as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.

Patient gets biopsy in U.S. after she says she was denied in Ontario due to ransomware attack

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Amherstburg, Ont., resident Jennifer Duguay says she’s still in disbelief that she crossed the border to get a biopsy after she was denied care in Windsor due to ongoing hospital delays caused by a ransomware attack.

Ozempic is everywhere and that's triggering for people in recovery from eating disorders, specialists say

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People in recovery from eating disorders and clinicians who treat them say the proliferation of drugs like Ozempic for weight loss puts patients at risk of relapse.

CEOs of Ontario hospitals hit by ransomware attack break down impact on operations, patients

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For the first time, top leadership from the five hospitals impacted by a ransomware attack in southwestern Ontario answered questions from the media — acknowledging the significant impact the incident has had on care as well as the large amount of stolen data.

Deep sleep, memory formation go hand-in-hand. Scientists are also finding links to dementia

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A growing body of research points to clear links between deep sleep and memory formation, and on the flip side, the possibility of dire consequences when someone’s sleep quality erodes over time. One new study found a decrease in deep sleep was associated with a higher risk of dementia. 

Dozens sickened with salmonella after eating cantaloupes in Canada, U.S.

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At least 43 people in the U.S. and nine in Canada have been infected with an outbreak strain of salmonella linked to cantaloupes, officials say. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency is warning people not to eat three recalled brands of cantaloupe.

First Nations adults with disabilities living on reserve lack equal access to services, report finds

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Jennifer Bercier says "an invisible line with a huge barrier" separates Manitoba First Nations like hers from the rest of the province, after her daughter lost all of her disability support and services upon turning 18.

Six senior executives out as new board shakes up Alberta Health Services

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Eight days after the appointment of a new board of directors was announced, AHS says that six senior executives are no longer in their roles.

Alberta cabinet needs final say in health crises, Preston Manning's COVID-19 panel says

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A panel reviewing Alberta's COVID-19 response is calling for rule changes to ensure the premier and cabinet have the last word in future crises.

Drugs like Ozempic are popular for weight loss. That's because there's been little other help: obesity doctors

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Despite widely publicized reports of rare but severe side effects, obesity doctors say Ozempic and drugs like it have the potential to vastly medical help for a chronic illness that patients have been forced for too long to try to cure on their own.

Singh says pharmacare talks 'ongoing,' doesn't expect details in fall economic statement

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NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said Wednesday he does not expect to see legislation to create a national pharmacare system in next week's fall economic statement because negotiations with the Liberals are "ongoing."

Should you have a copy of your medical record? These experts say yes

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As cyberattacks become more common in the health-care sector, experts say Canadians should have a copy of their medical records. 

Scientists warn of 'dangerous future' if global emissions aren't cut

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Climate change is increasingly impacting the health and survival of people worldwide, and projections show risks will quickly rise with further inaction, scientists warn in a new report.

Doug Ford government paying for-profit clinic more than hospitals for OHIP-covered surgeries, documents show

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Premier Doug Ford’s government gives a for-profit clinic more funding to perform certain OHIP-covered surgeries than it gives Ontario’s public hospitals to perform the same operations, CBC News has learned.

National health groups call on Ottawa to prevent sales of nicotine pouches to children

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The Canadian Cancer Society is demanding the federal government immediately regulate the sale of flavoured nicotine pouches, a product Ottawa approved for sale in July with no restrictions on how it’s advertised or who can buy it.

This therapist can't afford her dream job — and gave it up so she could pay rent

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Kelsey Arsenault is a music therapist. But she had to give it up to make ends meet. Now she's working a desk job to pay off the degree she got for a job she just can't do.

Danielle Smith believes she's found the org chart that saves health care

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In the new era Alberta's premier is ushering in, the province's monolithic superagency is getting broken into separate organizations by function.

Here's how the southwestern Ontario hospital ransomware attack has impacted this cancer patient's care

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Essex county resident Kale McMurren was eager to be done his cancer treatment when an attack on hospital systems derailed the final weeks of his care. 

Cold and flu season is here — but doctors say antibiotics won't help you get better faster

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Antibiotic resistance has emerged as a global health threat and fuelled so-called superbugs that can’t be treated by first-line antibiotics. But proper stewardship of the potentially life-saving drugs can help ensure they remain effective.

Why making video games accessible for disabled players is empowering — and good business

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Sony's new Access Controller is just the latest in a slowly growing number of products aimed at making traditional video games easier for disabled gamers to play.

Investigation reveals ride-share rejections and transit system dangers for people with disabilities

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Marketplace documented three passengers who each took different modes of transit and encountered multiple barriers, which led to increased travel time, discomfort and sometimes outright danger.

Nova Scotia MLAs share personal, painful tales of opioid abuse during legislative debate

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The comments came during final debate on a bill that would allow Nova Scotia to join other provinces in a class-action lawsuit against opioid manufacturers.

With a 'game changer' stroke treatment in doctors' hands comes a new challenge — shaving off the minutes

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A procedure known as endovascular thrombectomy can turn what would be a devastating stroke into something that leaves just a mild disability or none at all. But time is crucial, prompting hospitals to find small efficiencies that can make a huge difference.

MPs to study $300M Liberal government paid to now-shuttered COVID-19 vaccine manufacturer

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MPs on the House of Commons health committee voted Wednesday to launch a study into the more than $300 million the Liberal government paid to a now-shuttered Quebec-based pharmaceutical company whose COVID-19 vaccine never made it to market.