Bird flu has spread far and wide, infecting a range of species like chickens, skunks, cows, foxes and polar bears and renewing questions about what level of risk it poses to people as a B.C. teenager remains in critical condition in hospital after being infected. But it’s the recent jump to pigs that has experts…
Descrease article font size Increase article font size Health Canada is recalling a brand of baby stroller over a fault in its braking system, which could lead to injuries, the agency said in a recall notice on Monday. The recall pertains to the Stokke YOYO baby stroller which is available in either a black, or…
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump said Thursday he is nominating anti-vaccine activist Robert F. Kennedy Jr to lead the Department of Health and Human Services, putting him in charge of a massive agency that oversees everything from drug, vaccine and food safety to medical research and the social safety net programs Medicare and Medicaid. “For too…
People have been hearing a lot about H5N1 bird flu — or highly pathogenic avian influenza — since a B.C. teen became the first human to get the virus in Canada and is in hospital. It’s not yet known how the teen got infected, but Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada’s chief public health officer, said on…
British Columbia’s chief veterinarian has told clinics that treat wild birds that they must establish protocols to prevent the spread of avian flu, warning of the risk of human exposure to the illness. Dr. Theresa Burns said in a letter to vets last week that reporting of sick and dead wild birds across the province…
The federal government has tapped a panel of five experts to craft the path toward a universal pharmacare program. Dr. Nav Persaud, the Canada Research Chair in health justice, will chair a committee that includes a variety of health-care professionals who are tasked with advising the government on the next steps of the program. The…
Health Canada has authorized three influenza vaccines that could be used if bird flu became a pandemic, the agency says. The federal government also has an agreement with vaccine manufacturer GSK for domestic vaccine production that could be accelerated if needed, the Public Health Agency of Canada told The Canadian Press in an email. There…
B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry says the teenager in Children’s Hospital with Canada’s first presumptive case of avian flu is in critical condition. Henry said the teen was admitted late on Friday and their condition varied over the weekend but that as of Tuesday they had taken a turn for the worst. 2:02…
Active-duty soldiers and veterans struggling to live up to the “hero” persona are coming forward to urge others to seek the help they need. One soldier stepping forward is Adam Moore. He began his service as a teenager, not even old enough to drink. “I started my career as a reservist, hurt my left knee…
A Canadian Forces veteran who served in Afghanistan says Canada should be a “world leader” on alternative therapies for treating veterans’ post-traumatic stress disorder and other post-combat trauma, including the use of psychedelics. Retired MCpl. Gordon Hurley says psychedelic treatments such as ketamine and psilocybin, or “magic mushrooms,” can give veterans “a breath of relief”…
