News/Canada/London

Outside the Southwestern Public Health (SWPH) building, St. Thomas resident Cemon Aswathi sighed with relief after booking her 17-month-old son Nathan for the second dose of a vaccine that protects against the measles.  "We booked it in advance just to be protected more," said Aswathi. "It's difficult since he's very young and it's very easy to catch, so it's a frightening situation when children are suffering."The region, spanning across St. Thomas and smaller townships and municipalities in Oxford and Elgin counties, has accounted for about 40 per cent of measles infections reported in Ontario over the last six months. Thirty-two new cases were recorded this past week.The current measles outbreak, which began last fall, has been the largest Canada has seen in more than a decade. Health o...

Measles case counts in Ontario continue to climb with the bulk of cases concentrated in southwestern Ontario, according to new data released by Public Health Ontario (PHO) on Thursday.Health units that oversee that part of the province account for roughly 87.6 per cent of the cases recorded since the outbreak began this past fall. It's been traced to a Mennonite wedding in New Brunswick, Ontario's chief public health doctor said, and has since spread across the country. The result's been the largest measles outbreak Canada has seen in more than a decade. Public health officials in Ontario said they've now seen a total of 816 people with the measles, the majority in unvaccinated children.The area around St. Thomas and Elgin county has seen the largest number of infections, with 32 new cases...

The health unit for Oxford County, Elgin County and the City of St. Thomas is dealing with almost half of the measles cases in Ontario with 228 people infected, predominantly in unvaccinated kids. The medical officer of health for Southwestern Public Health (SWPH) said Thursday that 28 new cases were reported this past week. He also debunked a misconception circulating in the community that getting the measles provides total immunity. "While getting measles can result in natural immunity, being infected with measles carries significant health risks, including pneumonia, brain infections and brain swelling," said Dr. Ninh Tran. "And for pregnant people, measles can cause low birth weight for the baby, preterm and miscarriage." There have been 470 measles cases since an outbreak began in Oct...

Derek Illman of London, Ont., is a fitness fanatic and a self-proclaimed "podcast junkie." Through conversations at the gym and while listening to podcasters, the 55-year-old learned about testosterone replacement therapy (TRT) and its potential in boosting energy and strength."I thought, 'If TRT can help me get some minor improvements in performance at the gym, will that translate to longevity?'" said Illman."It makes sense to me in my non-medical mind that improved performance at the gym should translate potentially into a healthier day-to-day feeling or ideally, better aging." I think in a properly assessed individual, testosterone can be a wonderful treatment that's very effective.- Dr. Gerald BrockIllman said his gym friend told him it was easy to purchase TRT online, but Illman wante...