Health

Misinformation is making it hard for Canada to reach the vaccination levels needed to prevent the spread of measles, experts say as the country deals with the largest outbreak of the disease in almost three decades.Nationally, the country is dealing with the largest outbreak since the highly infectious disease was eradicated in 1998. Canada has recorded 1,593 confirmed and 253 probable cases this year, according to the federal government's latest monitoring report Friday — the vast majority of which are in Ontario.Dr. Peter Hotez, an American virologist who was co-nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his work developing a low-cost, patent-free COVID-19 vaccine, said the current wave of measles cases in North America highlights the importance of educating the public about vaccine safety....

Other People's Problems40:41Welcome to Other People’s Problems - On DrugsSome Canadians who suffer from mental illness are turning to psychedelic therapy that utilizes cannabis instead of better-known psychedelics such as psilocybin.In psychedelic therapy — an emerging field, no matter the substance — patients use drugs that alter their consciousness, under supervision of a trained therapist, to try to help with hard-to-treat conditions.Under the right conditions, cannabis can be a useful tool in therapy, says Vancouver registered psychologist Hillary McBride, including that it is easier to access than some psychedelics. Not only is cannabis legal in Canada for people 19 and over, but there is familiarity with prescribing it, she says, "which means that people can go to their doctor … and ...

This First Person article is the experience of Maggie Campbell, a wife and mom in P.E.I. For more information about CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ.I could hear her heart beat thanks to an at-home fetal doppler. Our three sons gathered around us on the couch and watched as Dad put the jelly on my belly. The sound of their little sister's heart beat made them laugh. I should have been feeling joy in this precious moment, and I did, but that joy was overshadowed by worry. When we found out we were expecting our fourth baby, we were not immediately ecstatic. Instead, our thoughts were: "We don't even have a doctor. Where do we go?"  I called the office of the obstetrics doctor who cared for me during my previous pregnancy in 2022, hoping I could return to him. In P.E.I., patien...

The Dose23:43Why are my allergies getting worse?Most people with seasonal allergies have likely noticed an uncomfortable trend over the past few years. In parts of Canada, allergy season not only seems to be lasting longer, it seems to be more intense. Experts like Dr. Anne Ellis, chair of the department of allergy and immunology at Queen's University, say the roughly one in five Canadians who experience respiratory allergies aren't imagining things. The past few years have brought some seasons with a lot more pollen than Canadians are used to, she told Dr. Brian Goldman, host of The Dose podcast. "Definitely last year's birch pollen season, and it looks like this year is going to be a doozy as well, has certainly been higher than we've seen in the last 10 years," said Ellis. Thankfully, n...

There have been 37 reported measles cases in Saskatchewan from mid-March to mid-May this year, Saskatchewan's chief medical officer said at a news conference Friday, compared to only two cases from 2015 to 2024.Dr. Saqib Shahab said cases have been confirmed in people from five months to 57 years old.  "Many families are still not accepting vaccines despite public health staff reaching out to them locally," Shahab said. He said that most new cases are in unvaccinated people in the southern rural parts of the province."This means that the measles outbreak will continue. Hospitalizations will continue. Exposure to persons at higher risk, including infants under one, unvaccinated pregnant women, and immunocompromised [people] who are at higher risk for severe complications, will continue," Sh...

Newfoundland and Labrador Premier John Hogan announced Thursday that the province will offer the shingles vaccine to residents over 50 by September, and to those over 50 who are immunocompromised beginning June 1. (Peter Cowan/CBC)The Newfoundland and Labrador government announced it's expanding accessibility to the free shingles vaccine to people 50 and older by September, but will start with making it available to immunocompromised seniors on June 1.Premier John Hogan made the announcement on Thursday, following through on a promise he first made during his campaign for Liberal leadership last month.In a news release, the Department of Health and Community Services said that immunocompromised residents between the ages of 50 and 64 will be able to access the vaccine on June 1, with every...

Visibly moved, the chief of Raphaël André's Innu community stood to speak after the Quebec coroner presented her findings Thursday on the 2021 death of the 51-year-old unhoused man."When you knock on the door one minute before closing, and you get an answer like 'no room'? Come on, forget the rules and come in, my friend, come in, my son. That's a human being," said Réal McKenzie, the chief of Matimekush–Lac John in northern Quebec.McKenzie's emotional reaction followed the release of coroner Stéphanie Gamache's report into André's death in January 2021. The Innu man was found frozen inside a portable toilet, just steps from the shelter he frequented — one that had reduced hours during the COVID-19 pandemic.The death was avoidable, the report concluded, and it highlighted a need for more r...

Etienne Crevier's wife had a miscarriage two weeks ago. He wants grieving fathers-to-be to have access to the same parental insurance benefits to mourn the loss of a child as women do. Source link

Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services currently has 27 bodies in long-term storage facilities, says spokesperson Mikaela Etchegary. (Elizabeth Whitten/CBC)The government of Newfoundland and Labrador made a legislation change four months ago meant to tackle the growing number of unclaimed bodies being held in freezer units at the Health Sciences Centre in St. John's — but it has yet to bury a single person.According to the amended legislation, which was filed on Dec. 24 and came into effect on Jan. 1, Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services (NLHS) has the power to bury unclaimed remains after two weeks of searching for next of kin and then five days after the identity of the person is posted online on a dedicated website.The website also has yet to launch.Health authority spokesperson...

A Prince Edward Island man wants others to be aware of a federal program that offers compensation for serious and permanent injuries from vaccines approved by Health Canada, since he missed the deadline for applying and has been left in dire straits. Kent Gillespie used to rotate among three different occupations to make a living. "I was doing construction, I've been cooking for a lot of years and I had my own painting company," he said during an interview with CBC News at his Charlottetown home. His life is very different now. "I tried going back to work with my nephew and it seemed like every second day I had to take the day off because my hands were just locked up like this," he said, showing his cramped and painful fingers. "I feel a lot less of a human being."Gillespie said his troubl...