News/Health

The deadly wildfires that swept through Los Angeles this year likely contributed to hundreds more deaths, say researchers calling for better health tracking in the wake of natural disasters.As Canadian communities from B.C. to Newfoundland battle flames and drifting smoke, new research from JAMA medical journal published Wednesday draws attention to the long-term health effects associated with recent wildfires in L.A. and Maui, Hawai'i.A total of 30 people died directly from the L.A. wildfires, according to the study.Andrew Stokes of Boston University School of Public Health and Finnish researchers now estimate another 440 people died from health conditions related to the blaze.Stokes said these could be people with heart or lung conditions exacerbated by smoke. Mental health impacts and d...

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 "Canadian privacy law is badly outdated," said Michael Geist, law professor and Canada Research Chair in internet and e-commerce law at the University of Ottawa and co-author of the commentary.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 ...

"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 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 ...

The rate of serious liver disease among heavy drinkers has more than doubled over the last 20 years as the demographics around who is consuming more alcohol shift, a new study suggests.The research, published Wednesday in American medical journal Clinical Gastroenterology and Hepatology, found that heavy alcohol use is up among women, older adults, lower-income individuals and people with metabolic syndromes like obesity, high blood pressure and high blood sugar. These groups tend to already be at a higher risk for liver disease, and excessive drinking only makes that worse, doctors say.  "Liver disease is real, it's surging, and your risk is much higher than you might think," said Dr. Brian Lee, a study author and a transplant hepatologist who treats liver transplant patients in the U.S. ...

The spread of measles both within provinces and between one another is keeping doctors and health officials across much of Canada on their toes.The pace of the outbreak is accelerating in Alberta and more than 3,400 people have been confirmed with measles there and in Ontario so far this year. Measles hangs in the air and is one of the most contagious known viruses, infectious diseases specialists say.Joseph Blondeau, head of clinical microbiology at Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon, says the more widespread the measles virus is in the province, the more opportunities there are for an individual who may not yet know they're infected to interact with others at social events and transmit it to others.Measles can cause fever, cough and redness of the eyes, followed by white spots next t...

When varsity rower Ruth McDonald competes, she's thinking about pushing herself hard and winning the race. The potential of suffering a medical emergency — while always possible — is the last thing on her mind. "Every sport, you have to be comfortable with pain and comfortable with getting uncomfortable," she said. "So something like injury or having cardiac arrest is not something you have on your mind, because you're so focused on working so hard and achieving the best results possible."Sudden cardiac arrests in female athletes are a rising concern for sports medicine experts because doctors say they're realizing how little they know about the heart health of female athletes, and their risk level for the condition.While rare, sudden cardiac arrests are a leading cause of death for young ...

Eight healthy babies were born in Britain with the help of an experimental technique that uses DNA from three people to help mothers avoid passing devastating rare diseases to their children, researchers report.Most DNA is found in the nucleus of our cells, and it's that genetic material — some inherited from mom, some from dad — that makes us who we are. But there's also some DNA outside of the cell's nucleus, in structures called mitochondria. Dangerous mutations there can cause a range of diseases in children that can lead to muscle weakness, seizures, developmental delays, major organ failure and death.Testing during the in vitro fertilization process can usually identify whether these mutations are present. But in rare cases, it's not clear.Researchers have been developing a technique...

Hospitalizations related to injuries from scooters and e-scooters have risen, according to new Canadian data, as emergency physicians warn the two-wheeled vehicles aren't toys.The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) said Thursday that nearly 1,000 people were hospitalized for scooter-related injuries during the 12-month period starting April 1, 2023. That's up from 810 during the same period of 2022-23.Half of the injuries — 498 — were related to motorized e-scooters, an increase of 32 per cent over the 375 hospitalizations recorded in 2022-23. "Some unintentional injuries are really predictable and preventable, particularly in relation to e-scooter injuries," said Tanya Khan, CIHI's manager of hospital data advancement and engagement in Montreal.Emergency physicians say the e...

Officials are pulling another brand of salami off the shelves due to an ongoing salmonella outbreak: Rea brand Soppressata Salami Sweet, according to an update from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.Other products include Rea brand Genoa Salami Sweet, Rea brand Genoa Salami Hot and Bona brand Mild Genova Salami. Consumers can subscribe for updates on recalled products here.The Public Health Agency of Canada says 84 people have gotten sick and nine landed in hospital after eating deli meat.Previously, they said the products linked to the outbreak were sold in Ontario, Alberta and Manitoba. They're now adding Quebec to that list.Salmonella is a bacterial illness that can result in severe and potentially deadly infections, particularly for children, pregnant people, the elderly and those wi...