Health Updates - Europe World

Quebec physicians warn of deepfake scams using their likeness to sell medications

4Aug

By Europe WorldNo Comments

Health, News/Canada/Montreal

Quebec physicians warn of deepfake scams using their likeness to sell medications

Quebec doctors are sounding the alarm over recent deepfake videos that have been appearing online, saying they can erode public trust in the medical system and put people's health at risk.The AI-generated videos use the likeness of real doctors to give questionable health-care advice and falsely advertise or sell certain products. "It is something that is putting a lot of damage on all physicians in Quebec and in Canada," said Dr. François Marquis, chief of intensive care at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital in Montreal.Marquis said he was in disbelief when he first learned his image was being used in a deepfake video. He received phone calls from people saying "you're all over Facebook," he said, "or that you have discovered something and they want to know if it's true and if they can get the...

Canadians’ health data at risk of being handed over to U.S. authorities, experts warn

31Jul

By Europe WorldNo Comments

Health, News/Health

Canadians’ health data at risk of being handed over to U.S. authorities, experts warn

Canadians' electronic health records need more protections to prevent foreign entities from accessing patient data, according to commentary in the Canadian Medical Association Journal. "Canadian privacy law is badly outdated," said Michael Geist, law professor and Canada Research Chair in internet and e-commerce law at the University of Ottawa and co-author of the commentary. "We're now talking about decades since the last major change." Geist says electronic medical records systems from clinics and hospitals — containing patients' personal health information — are often controlled by U.S. companies. The data is encrypted and primarily stored on cloud servers in Canada, but because those are owned by American companies, they are subject to American laws.Michael Geist is a law professor at ...

It’s time to ramp up efforts to prevent tick-borne illnesses, scientists say

30Jul

By Europe WorldNo Comments

Health, News/Health

It’s time to ramp up efforts to prevent tick-borne illnesses, scientists say

"I know it's not stylish," admits Nicholas Ogden, "but it actually does prevent the ticks."He tucks his pants into his socks, then sprays insect repellant over both.The scientist is preparing to test a section of Mont-Saint Bruno, a hill in southern Quebec, for ticks — without catching the diseases they carry. Today, he's got a special eye out for black-legged tick nymphs. At this stage, they're about as big as a poppy seed, and they're the most likely suspects carrying bacteria and parasites that cause maladies like Lyme disease, anaplasmosis or babesiosis. Blacklegged tick nymphs, like the one pictured here, are about the size of a poppy seed. People in Canada are most likely to acquire Lyme disease after being bitten by them. (Dave St-Amant/CBC News)With warmer temperatures, ticks have ...

There’s a painkiller shortage in Canada. Here’s what to know

28Jul

By Europe WorldNo Comments

Health, News/Health

There’s a painkiller shortage in Canada. Here’s what to know

There is a shortage of some commonly-prescribed painkillers in Canada, as companies that supply them deal with manufacturing disruptions and increased demand, according to a notice published on Health Canada's website.The medications in question are acetaminophen with codeine (sometimes known as Tylenol 3) and acetaminophen with oxycodone (sometimes sold under the brand name Percocet).As a result of the shortage, Health Canada's notice said these drugs have become harder to get and "may not always be available."Here's what you need to know.Manufacturing troubles cause ripple effectsHealth Canada's notice says the shortage of acetaminophen with codeine is linked to manufacturing disruptions reported by Teva Canada Limited, resulting in increased demand and shortages reported by Apotex Inc ...

More research needed on wildfire smoke toxicity, scientists say as they warn of pollution ‘time bomb’

27Jul

By Europe WorldNo Comments

Health, News/Canada/Manitoba

More research needed on wildfire smoke toxicity, scientists say as they warn of pollution ‘time bomb’

Wildfire smoke in Manitoba could be even more toxic than usual and more research needs to be done on the pollutants being released into the air, according to scientists. The fires may be releasing pollution stored in the province's soil for millennia, including toxic chemicals from more than a century of resource exploitation in the north, said Colin McCarter, Canada Research Chair of Climate and Environmental Change. What questions do you have about wildfire smoke and air quality? Send an email to ask@cbc.ca. Peatlands cover about one-third of the province and the boggy wetland is a critical carbon storehouse and even acts as a natural fire barrier, but climate change is increasingly putting them at risk.As the landscapes dry out and become more susceptible to the flames, a "pollution ...

N.S. family says K surgery in U.S. might be daughter’s only hope to walk again

26Jul

By Europe WorldNo Comments

Health, News/Canada/Nova Scotia

N.S. family says $85K surgery in U.S. might be daughter’s only hope to walk again

Nora Nunn-Murphy doesn't know how her Halifax-area family will come up with more than $85,000 for a rare hip surgery in the United States, but she knows she has to try.If not, her daughter may have little hope of walking as she gets older. Nunn-Murphy's seven-year-old daughter, Brenna Benoit, has cerebral palsy and a condition called hip dysplasia, which is forcing her hip to fully dislocate from the socket.Brenna used to be able to stand up and walk with the help of braces and a walker, but now gets around in her pink and blue wheelchair. Nunn-Murphy sees Brenna's hip mobility deteriorating and worries if she doesn't get the right treatment soon, her hip will be inoperable.She and her husband, Al Benoit, said they believe they have no option but to forgo the Nova Scotia health-care system...

AHS declares presumed E. coli, amoebiasis outbreak at Saskatoon Farm food facility

26Jul

By Europe WorldNo Comments

Health, News/Canada/Calgary

AHS declares presumed E. coli, amoebiasis outbreak at Saskatoon Farm food facility

Alberta Health Services says 18 people have tested positive for presumptive E. coli — three of whom also tested positive for a parasite that causes amoebiasis — in an outbreak at Saskatoon Farm.So far, 235 people have reported symptoms linked to the outbreak, officials said. Two people have been hospitalized, one of whom has been discharged.Alberta Health Services (AHS) previously said people were reporting gastrointestinal illness after dining at Saskatoon Farm, near Okotoks, on July 15 and 16. Now, officials are saying they're still working to identify when exactly people were exposed, but it was likely early that week.Officials at AHS are asking people who ate or drank at the farm between July 1 and 16 and have symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain and diarrhea to call Healt...

People assume I can’t be a doctor because of my disability

26Jul

By Europe WorldNo Comments

Health, News/Canada

People assume I can’t be a doctor because of my disability

Kendra Hebert had never seen a visibly disabled physician and has often questioned whether there was a place for her in medicine. (Meredyth Elisseou)This is a First Person column by Kendra Hebert, who lives in Garnett Settlement, N.B. For more information about First Person stories, see the FAQ.It was the first day of a new rotation. I entered the ward wearing scrubs, my stethoscope draped around my neck and my hospital ID clipped to my shirt. Indistinguishable, I thought, from any other medical student.As I approached the nursing station in my wheelchair, a nurse I hadn't met before looked up and asked, "Are you here for an appointment?"I paused, momentarily caught off guard. "No," I replied. "I'm the new medical student starting today."Her face changed instantly; an apology, an explana...

How daytime parties are fuelled by the wellness movement and a need for community

26Jul

By Europe WorldNo Comments

Health, News/Entertainment

How daytime parties are fuelled by the wellness movement and a need for community

Daytime parties are trending across Canada, with people trading alcohol and all-night clubbing for coffee and croissants.One such party is Croissound in Montreal, which is rethinking nightlife culture by gathering local DJs at cafés. So far, it's presented four Canadian events this year, with thousands of attendees. Its most recent party was a free, ticketed event at a popular Montreal food court.The Coffee Party, which calls itself "a global movement reimagining how people connect," has held several events in Toronto since late last year.An increasing number of these sober daytime events seem to be popping up. There have been parties in Vancouver and Edmonton, and even in places like Kazakhstan and Singapore.And in August during the National Bank Open tennis tournament, Sobeys Stadium in ...

St. John’s morgue octuples its storage capacity with new facility

26Jul

By Europe WorldNo Comments

Health, News/Canada/Nfld. & Labrador

St. John’s morgue octuples its storage capacity with new facility

The new morgue, inside the Janeway Children's Hospital, can store 96 bodies. (Elizabeth Whitten/CBC)Newfoundland and Labrador has vastly increased the number of bodies it can store in a new morgue facility in St. John's, say health authority officials.Daniel Parsons, senior director of provincial capital planning and engineering with Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services, said this new facility consists of two fridge units and two freezer units, which is located off a hallway in the parking garage of the Janeway Children's Hospital.He said the original morgue facility was constructed in the 1970s and had a capacity of 12 bodies. The new facility can store 96 bodies."What we've done here is significantly increased our capacity," he told reporters on Friday during a tour of the facility....