Health – Page 3 – 𝓔𝓾𝓻𝓸𝓹𝓮 𝓦𝓸𝓻𝓵𝓭

Avian flu cull order for B.C. ostrich farm to be reviewed in court today

15Apr

By Europe WorldNo Comments

Avian flu cull order for B.C. ostrich farm to be reviewed in court today

A Federal Court judge will begin hearing arguments Tuesday in the case of a B.C. ostrich farm which has been ordered to cull its entire flock over avian flu concerns.Universal Ostrich is located on a rural road near Edgewood, in B.C.'s West Kootenay region, an approximately 175-kilometre drive east from Kelowna along a winding highway.Its entire flock of about 400 birds was ordered culled in February by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency after H5N1 avian flu was detected in December — but the farm managed to get its birds a stay of execution until the court could rule on the merits of the cull order.The two-day hearing, which is set to be conducted virtually starting Tuesday, is the latest development in a case that has pitted public opinion in favour of the birds against officials who sa...

B.C. health-care workers’ CRA accounts hacked after 28,000 social insurance numbers stolen in data breach

15Apr

By Europe WorldNo Comments

Health, News/Canada

B.C. health-care workers’ CRA accounts hacked after 28,000 social insurance numbers stolen in data breach

Nurse Leslie Warner will never forget being taken to her local RCMP detachment in Fernie, B.C., in 2022 and charged in a social security fraud operating out of Alberta.She says she was fingerprinted and had her mug shot taken."I was like: 'Oh my God, this is my identity theft,'" Warner recalls telling police. "I did not do this."The fraud charges were dropped soon after she explained that an imposter had been using her identity since 2020, when someone hacked into her Canada Revenue Agency account and filed a bogus return in Alberta that stated tax preparation company H&R Block was her new "authorized representative."But Warner had never authorized H&R Block to file her taxes.Warner said she has been trying for years to understand how her identity — and at times her life — came to ...

Toxic drug deaths highly personal — and political — as B.C. marks 9 years since public health emergency began

14Apr

By Europe WorldNo Comments

Health, News/Canada/British Columbia

Toxic drug deaths highly personal — and political — as B.C. marks 9 years since public health emergency began

Nine years ago, former B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall declared a public health emergency, in response to a sharp increase in deaths related to toxic drugs and drug overdoses. Overdose deaths had been climbing steadily since 2010; the 474 deaths in 2015 were a 30 per cent increase from the year before.Those annual numbers kept climbing, peaking at more than 2,500 deaths in 2023. More than 16,000 people have died as a result of toxic drugs across B.C. in those nine years. Although recent numbers show those numbers could be declining, officials remain steadfast in their commitment to saving lives.More than six British Columbians died per day due to toxic drugs last year."This crisis continues to have a devastating impact throughout our province, from families and communities...

Indigenous DNA in wastewater is vulnerable to exploitation, Guelph, Ont., researchers say

14Apr

By Europe WorldNo Comments

Health, News/Canada/Kitchener-Waterloo

Indigenous DNA in wastewater is vulnerable to exploitation, Guelph, Ont., researchers say

Scientists collecting wastewater samples gain access to a variety of sensitive information.At the University of Guelph in southern Ontario, researchers are working to protect that data.Melissa Perreault is part of the research team focused on developing a policy to better protect Indigenous people from research exploitation, specifically through wastewater sampling. "I want to start by saying how valuable wastewater research is ... but there are other things in wastewater besides [COVID-19]," Perreault told CBC News.During the COVID-19 pandemic, public health departments used wastewater sampling to keep track of the spread of the virus across Canada.The sensitive data found in wastewater — including human DNA and prescribed or illicit drugs — can also give researchers more information abou...

45 years later, Terry Fox’s brother retraces the first steps of the Marathon of Hope

14Apr

By Europe WorldNo Comments

Health, News/Canada/Nfld. & Labrador

45 years later, Terry Fox’s brother retraces the first steps of the Marathon of Hope

On April 12, 1980, Terry Fox wrote in his diary, "Today is the day it all begins," after starting his Marathon of Hope in St. John's. On Saturday, Terry's older brother Fred Fox returned to Mile 0, the place where it all started 45 years ago, and ran the path to the city hall as his brother did years ago. "He could never have imagined what those words would mean, all these years later," said Fred Fox.On his arrival at city hall, St. John's Mayor Danny Breen placed the Chain of Office around his neck, replicating the honour given to Terry Fox in 1980. Volunteers, cancer patients and cancer researchers gathered for the occasion. Before retracing his brother's steps on Saturday, Fox had spent the week visiting schools and speaking to students about Terry Fox's cause, in a bid to encourage mor...

Treat childhood obesity by reducing stigma, adding options, say new Canadian guidelines

14Apr

By Europe WorldNo Comments

Health, News/Health

Treat childhood obesity by reducing stigma, adding options, say new Canadian guidelines

Brenndon Goodman was nine years old when a doctor told him he would be dead by 30 if he couldn't get his weight under control."You're going through all the issues a normal nine-year-old goes through. On top of that, also being told you're overweight, you're an aberration. For me, I felt like I was a failure," said Goodman, 30, who lives in Thornhill, Ont.He said he remembers endless — and unhelpful — appointments at weight-loss programs that amounted to cookie-cutter diet plans and shame. What finally worked was when a team of doctors, dietitians, specialists and psychologists at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children started telling him about the psychological and genetic aspects of obesity.That kind of collaborative and inclusive approach should be what all doctors and nurses take when tre...

Aging infrastructure, construction are fuelling pest problems in Montreal hospitals

14Apr

By Europe WorldNo Comments

Health

Aging infrastructure, construction are fuelling pest problems in Montreal hospitals

The city's hospital networks maintain that cases of bugs and rodents haven't jeopardized patient safety, but a range of factors make keeping pests out a persistent challenge. Source link

Shut out of medical school, he blames controversial admissions test which experts say lacks evidence

14Apr

By Europe WorldNo Comments

Health, News/Go Public

Shut out of medical school, he blames controversial admissions test which experts say lacks evidence

Erik Soby thought he had a shot at getting into medical school last year. The Torontonian scored high on the standard Medical College Admission Test (MCAT) and had an impressive grade point average. But most medical schools in Canada now require another admissions test — called the Casper — and Soby believes that hurdle was his downfall."That was the one aspect where I was below the average," he said. "So I ended up getting screened out."Medical schools are under a lot of pressure to sort through thousands of applications each year — people vying for a coveted spot and the chance to become a physician. To help narrow down candidates, many medical schools use the Casper, which stands for Computer-Based Assessment for Sampling Personal Characteristics. The company behind the test, Acuity Ins...

‘Unprecedented growth’ in Canadian food banks prompts calls for it to be a top federal election issue

14Apr

By Europe WorldNo Comments

Health, News/Canada/Kitchener-Waterloo

‘Unprecedented growth’ in Canadian food banks prompts calls for it to be a top federal election issue

Demand for the services of local food banks has never been higher, and Carolyn McLeod-McCarthy of the Guelph Food Bank says she's worried about the impact U.S. tariffs will have on the local economy and workers."We're quite nervous about what that's going to mean for being able to provide food to people in need," McLeod-McCarthy told CBC News.She said the southern Ontario food bank is seeing more people needing help than ever before."The word unprecedented gets used a lot and that's exactly what's happening: unprecedented growth," McLeod-McCarthy said.Food bank officials and advocates say they want leaders and candidates to make pledges to end food insecurity a top priority during the federal election campaign.Over the last year, they've seen an additional 1,000 people seek assistance. She...

Australian owner of Toronto café chain fighting Ottawa to save K of Vegemite

14Apr

By Europe WorldNo Comments

Health, News/Canada/Toronto

Australian owner of Toronto café chain fighting Ottawa to save $8K of Vegemite

It's hard to get any further from Australia than downtown Toronto, so for a dual-citizen like Leighton Walters, the quickest way to be transported home is to take a bite of Vegemite on toast.The yeasty spread, made from the byproduct of beer production, is hard to find in Canada, but back in Walters' home country, it's part of the national fabric. For five years, he says he's been importing jars of the stuff to offer at Found Coffee, his chain of Australian-inspired cafés in Toronto.Until recently, Found Coffee sold jars of Vegemite directly to customers, who could also order Vegemite on toast or pastries with the spread baked in."I grew up as a Vegemite kid ... eating it for breakfast every second day," Walters told CBC Toronto. "It's an iconic Australian product ... we've been so proud t...