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As routine vaccination rates dip, polio survivor hopes her story reverses that trend

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2 years ago

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When Miki Boleen sees new parents in her doctor’s office, she often asks if they’ve immunized their child against polio — a disease that immobilized her.

Her desire is not to frighten, but with vaccination rates declining in babies and toddlers due to missed routine immunizations at the start of the pandemic, she hopes her story will help others stay healthy. Boleen, 83, suggests people talk to their doctor — and with others who’ve had infectious diseases that can be prevented with vaccines.

Her message is simple: Why not consider immunization and prevent an avoidable serious illness?

“Please, please get your children immunized,” the Abbotsford, B.C., resident said in a conversation with Dr. Brian Goldman, host of CBC Radio’s White Coat, Black Art. “You don’t want them ending up like me.”

These conversations are happening public health experts warn that polio could resurface, following outbreaks in the U.S. and the U.K. In New York state this summer, a young man suffered paralysis after a polio infection, the first case in the U.S. in nearly a decade. Health officials are investigating how the illness connects to virus detections in England and Israel.

By the 1990s, mass immunization campaigns that began in Canada in 1955 largely eradicated polio here. Before then, thousands of children were infected.

Boleen, right, and her friend Lillian in 1955. They were hospitalized for polio during Winnipeg’s outbreak. (Submitted by Miki Boleen)

Boleen first had polio when she was eight years old in Gladstone, Man., about 160 kilometers west of Winnipeg. Initially, the only ill effect was no longer being able to run quickly.

Then Boleen was infected again by another strain during the 1953 epidemic. Winnipeg was the epicentre, with more than 2,300 cases of the country’s nearly 9,000 — including 500 deaths that year.

A headache turned into an ambulance ride for the then-14-year-old when she became unable to walk, coupled with a fear she might die.

On the hospital children’s ward, others with polio lay in beds alongside her. All the beds were pushed together so closely that if the children had any mobility at that point, they could’ve rolled onto another bed, she said.

“Sometimes during the night, I’d hear noises and I’d wake up,” Boleen recalled. “Well, I couldn’t move and my voice was just a whisper at that time, but I knew what was going on. Either I would hear a respirator quit during the night or I’d see the staff come in and move somebody away from the bed next to me. And you knew they’d passed away.”

In the morning, the children were told that the patient was moved. As the oldest on the ward, Boleen knew what had really happened.

She says she’s still traumatized by the deaths she witnessed.

Polio can strike again

Boleen was in hospital for nine months, which was followed by surgeries and a full leg brace to help her to walk again.

She threw out the braces and crutches, before she started training at age 16 to be a psychiatric nurse. Though she loved her career, symptoms of post-polio syndrome appeared in 1986 and she retired early.

 

White Coat Black Art26:30Polio comeback threatens Canadians

Polio is making a comeback around the world and falling vaccine rates in Canada make us vulnerable to a disease that was once close to eradication. Miki Boleen, an 83-year-old polio survivor, has made it her mission to urge parents to get their infants vaccinated as routine immunization rates slip.

Learning of this summer’s case of paralyzing polio in an adult in New York state upset Boleen, she said, but she was expecting it due to declining immunization rates. About 40 per cent of two-year-olds weren’t up-to-date with their vaccines in her area of B.C.

Canada’s vaccination goal for polio is 90 per cent, but several provinces and territories fall below that target, including 88 per cent in B.C. and 86 per cent in Manitoba.

Drop in immunization must be reversed: public health

Dr. Jia Hu serves as CEO of 19 To Zero, a not-for-profit coalition of medical and other experts who facilitate vaccination. Their efforts include campaigns geared toward parents of babies and preschoolers who missed polio and other immunizations when family practices closed down during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Hu’s team conducted a series of surveys suggesting vaccination coverage dropped from 70 per cent to less than one per cent in school-aged children getting the HPV vaccine, which protects against cancers that still kill about 400 Canadians each year.

Polio wards were lined not only with beds but with iron lungs, large metal ventilators that helped patients to breathe during the worst of the infection. Some survivors never regained lung function and spent the rest of their lives in the devices. (U.S. Food and Drug Administration)

When it came to vaccinations for babies and preschoolers that protect against polio and measles, the decline was about 25 per cent, said Hu, who is also a public health specialist and a family physician. Before the pandemic, a five per cent decline would be considered massive and concerning, he noted.

“The main reason for all of these drops was actually due to reduced access,” Hu said, particularly to family physicians and nurse practitioners during the pandemic.

“There is totally a crisis in primary care,” Hu said. “What we need is primary care to be supported in providing immunizations.”

The all-hands-on-deck approach to getting Canadians caught up on their immunizations should include pharmacists, just as they helped roll out COVID-19 vaccines to adults, he said, as well as online registries to flag to parents when their kids need a top up.

Understanding and outreach

Hu was the medical officer of health during a COVID-19 outbreak at a Cargill meat processing plant in High River, Alta., where his team helped run town halls, translate materials and set up vaccination clinics where community leaders encouraged residents to turn out.

“We launched a fairly large vaccine uptake campaign in northern rural Alberta,” Hu recalled.

A woman wears a nursing cap and uniform holding roses in this black and white photograph.
Miki Boleen graduated from nursing training in 1959 and worked as a psychiatric nurse until post-polio syndrome forced her to retire early. (Submitted by Miki Boleen)

To succeed, Hu said they used surveys and focus groups to understand why COVID-19 vaccination rates among rural residents lagged behind city dwellers, followed by TV ads, billboards and social media campaigns. Similar outreach could boost routine other types of immunization rates as well, he said.

Dr. Zulfiqar Bhutta, chair in global child policy at the Centre for Global Child Health at Sick Kids in Toronto, also says understanding what drives a community’s concerns about vaccination is key to encouraging uptake. He works in two countries where wild poliovirus still circulates: Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Bhutta said polio won’t be eradicated until it is under control everywhere in the world. To promote vaccination in Pakistan, Bhutta talks to parents about their family’s unmet needs, like hunger and reproductive care. The team works to provide those services alongside vaccines.

A headshot of a man wearing a blue shirt and half zipped sweater.
Outreach could boost routine immunization rates that fell during the COVID-19 pandemic, says Dr. Jia Hu. (Submitted by Jia Hu)

Public health doctors and nurses often say vaccines are a victim of their own success since we don’t see the illness and deaths they’ve averted. But they only work when enough of the population gains the protection.

“I often tell people what we see in lower-middle income countries, we see in pockets of deprivation in high income countries,” said Bhutta, who is also with the Institute for Global Health and Development at Aga Khan University in Karachi, Pakistan.

Bhutta said vaccine hesitancy anywhere can be tempered by reaching the most vulnerable people and maximizing participation.

In Canada, Boleen channels disappointment over falling immunization rates into her speeches in support of March of Dimes’ work with post-polio survivors, as well as conversations so younger adults discover just how damaging polio can be.

“Trust me, if I could have had immunization, I wouldn’t have had polio twice and I’d still be dancing,” Boleen said. “That’s the thing I miss the most.”

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What’s the greatest holiday gift: lips, hair, skin? Give the gift of great skin this holiday season

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7 days ago

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October 31, 2024

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Give the gift of great skin this holiday season

Skinstitut Holiday Gift Kits take the stress out of gifting

Toronto, October 31, 2024 – Beauty gifts are at the top of holiday wish lists this year, and Laser Clinics Canada, a leader in advanced beauty treatments and skincare, is taking the pressure out of seasonal shopping. Today, Laser Clincs Canada announces the arrival of its 2024 Holiday Gift Kits, courtesy of Skinstitut, the exclusive skincare line of Laser Clinics Group.

In time for the busy shopping season, the limited-edition Holiday Gifts Kits are available in Laser Clinics locations in the GTA and Ottawa. Clinics are conveniently located in popular shopping centers, including Hillcrest Mall, Square One, CF Sherway Gardens, Scarborough Town Centre, Rideau Centre, Union Station and CF Markville. These limited-edition Kits are available on a first come, first served basis.

“These kits combine our best-selling products, bundled to address the most relevant skin concerns we’re seeing among our clients,” says Christina Ho, Senior Brand & LAM Manager at Laser Clinics Canada. “With several price points available, the kits offer excellent value and suit a variety of gift-giving needs, from those new to cosmeceuticals to those looking to level up their skincare routine. What’s more, these kits are priced with a savings of up to 33 per cent so gift givers can save during the holiday season.

There are two kits to select from, each designed to address key skin concerns and each with a unique theme — Brightening Basics and Hydration Heroes.

Brightening Basics is a mix of everyday essentials for glowing skin for all skin types. The bundle comes in a sleek pink, reusable case and includes three full-sized products: 200ml gentle cleanser, 50ml Moisture Defence (normal skin) and 30ml1% Hyaluronic Complex Serum. The Brightening Basics kit is available at $129, a saving of 33 per cent.

Hydration Heroes is a mix of hydration essentials and active heroes that cater to a wide variety of clients. A perfect stocking stuffer, this bundle includes four deluxe products: Moisture 15 15 ml Defence for normal skin, 10 ml 1% Hyaluronic Complex Serum, 10 ml Retinol Serum and 50 ml Expert Squalane Cleansing Oil. The kit retails at $59.

In addition to the 2024 Holiday Gifts Kits, gift givers can easily add a Laser Clinic Canada gift card to the mix. Offering flexibility, recipients can choose from a wide range of treatments offered by Laser Clinics Canada, or they can expand their collection of exclusive Skinstitut products.

 

Brightening Basics 2024 Holiday Gift Kit by Skinstitut, available exclusively at Laser Clincs Canada clinics and online at skinstitut.ca.

Hydration Heroes 2024 Holiday Gift Kit by Skinstitut – available exclusively at Laser Clincs Canada clinics and online at skinstitut.ca.
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Here is how to prepare your online accounts for when you die

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2 weeks ago

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October 24, 2024

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LONDON (AP) — Most people have accumulated a pile of data — selfies, emails, videos and more — on their social media and digital accounts over their lifetimes. What happens to it when we die?

It’s wise to draft a will spelling out who inherits your physical assets after you’re gone, but don’t forget to take care of your digital estate too. Friends and family might treasure files and posts you’ve left behind, but they could get lost in digital purgatory after you pass away unless you take some simple steps.

Here’s how you can prepare your digital life for your survivors:

Apple

The iPhone maker lets you nominate a “ legacy contact ” who can access your Apple account’s data after you die. The company says it’s a secure way to give trusted people access to photos, files and messages. To set it up you’ll need an Apple device with a fairly recent operating system — iPhones and iPads need iOS or iPadOS 15.2 and MacBooks needs macOS Monterey 12.1.

For iPhones, go to settings, tap Sign-in & Security and then Legacy Contact. You can name one or more people, and they don’t need an Apple ID or device.

You’ll have to share an access key with your contact. It can be a digital version sent electronically, or you can print a copy or save it as a screenshot or PDF.

Take note that there are some types of files you won’t be able to pass on — including digital rights-protected music, movies and passwords stored in Apple’s password manager. Legacy contacts can only access a deceased user’s account for three years before Apple deletes the account.

Google

Google takes a different approach with its Inactive Account Manager, which allows you to share your data with someone if it notices that you’ve stopped using your account.

When setting it up, you need to decide how long Google should wait — from three to 18 months — before considering your account inactive. Once that time is up, Google can notify up to 10 people.

You can write a message informing them you’ve stopped using the account, and, optionally, include a link to download your data. You can choose what types of data they can access — including emails, photos, calendar entries and YouTube videos.

There’s also an option to automatically delete your account after three months of inactivity, so your contacts will have to download any data before that deadline.

Facebook and Instagram

Some social media platforms can preserve accounts for people who have died so that friends and family can honor their memories.

When users of Facebook or Instagram die, parent company Meta says it can memorialize the account if it gets a “valid request” from a friend or family member. Requests can be submitted through an online form.

The social media company strongly recommends Facebook users add a legacy contact to look after their memorial accounts. Legacy contacts can do things like respond to new friend requests and update pinned posts, but they can’t read private messages or remove or alter previous posts. You can only choose one person, who also has to have a Facebook account.

You can also ask Facebook or Instagram to delete a deceased user’s account if you’re a close family member or an executor. You’ll need to send in documents like a death certificate.

TikTok

The video-sharing platform says that if a user has died, people can submit a request to memorialize the account through the settings menu. Go to the Report a Problem section, then Account and profile, then Manage account, where you can report a deceased user.

Once an account has been memorialized, it will be labeled “Remembering.” No one will be able to log into the account, which prevents anyone from editing the profile or using the account to post new content or send messages.

X

It’s not possible to nominate a legacy contact on Elon Musk’s social media site. But family members or an authorized person can submit a request to deactivate a deceased user’s account.

Passwords

Besides the major online services, you’ll probably have dozens if not hundreds of other digital accounts that your survivors might need to access. You could just write all your login credentials down in a notebook and put it somewhere safe. But making a physical copy presents its own vulnerabilities. What if you lose track of it? What if someone finds it?

Instead, consider a password manager that has an emergency access feature. Password managers are digital vaults that you can use to store all your credentials. Some, like Keeper,Bitwarden and NordPass, allow users to nominate one or more trusted contacts who can access their keys in case of an emergency such as a death.

But there are a few catches: Those contacts also need to use the same password manager and you might have to pay for the service.

___

Is there a tech challenge you need help figuring out? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your questions.

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Pediatric group says doctors should regularly screen kids for reading difficulties

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2 weeks ago

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October 23, 2024

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The Canadian Paediatric Society says doctors should regularly screen children for reading difficulties and dyslexia, calling low literacy a “serious public health concern” that can increase the risk of other problems including anxiety, low self-esteem and behavioural issues, with lifelong consequences.

New guidance issued Wednesday says family doctors, nurses, pediatricians and other medical professionals who care for school-aged kids are in a unique position to help struggling readers access educational and specialty supports, noting that identifying problems early couldhelp kids sooner — when it’s more effective — as well as reveal other possible learning or developmental issues.

The 10 recommendations include regular screening for kids aged four to seven, especially if they belong to groups at higher risk of low literacy, including newcomers to Canada, racialized Canadians and Indigenous Peoples. The society says this can be done in a two-to-three-minute office-based assessment.

Other tips encourage doctors to look for conditions often seen among poor readers such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder; to advocate for early literacy training for pediatric and family medicine residents; to liaise with schools on behalf of families seeking help; and to push provincial and territorial education ministries to integrate evidence-based phonics instruction into curriculums, starting in kindergarten.

Dr. Scott McLeod, one of the authors and chair of the society’s mental health and developmental disabilities committee, said a key goal is to catch kids who may be falling through the cracks and to better connect families to resources, including quicker targeted help from schools.

“Collaboration in this area is so key because we need to move away from the silos of: everything educational must exist within the educational portfolio,” McLeod said in an interview from Calgary, where he is a developmental pediatrician at Alberta Children’s Hospital.

“Reading, yes, it’s education, but it’s also health because we know that literacy impacts health. So I think that a statement like this opens the window to say: Yes, parents can come to their health-care provider to get advice, get recommendations, hopefully start a collaboration with school teachers.”

McLeod noted that pediatricians already look for signs of low literacy in young children by way of a commonly used tool known as the Rourke Baby Record, which offers a checklist of key topics, such as nutrition and developmental benchmarks, to cover in a well-child appointment.

But he said questions about reading could be “a standing item” in checkups and he hoped the society’s statement to medical professionals who care for children “enhances their confidence in being a strong advocate for the child” while spurring partnerships with others involved in a child’s life such as teachers and psychologists.

The guidance said pediatricians also play a key role in detecting and monitoring conditions that often coexist with difficulty reading such as attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, but McLeod noted that getting such specific diagnoses typically involves a referral to a specialist, during which time a child continues to struggle.

He also acknowledged that some schools can be slow to act without a specific diagnosis from a specialist, and even then a child may end up on a wait list for school interventions.

“Evidence-based reading instruction shouldn’t have to wait for some of that access to specialized assessments to occur,” he said.

“My hope is that (by) having an existing statement or document written by the Canadian Paediatric Society … we’re able to skip a few steps or have some of the early interventions present,” he said.

McLeod added that obtaining specific assessments from medical specialists is “definitely beneficial and advantageous” to know where a child is at, “but having that sort of clear, thorough assessment shouldn’t be a barrier to intervention starting.”

McLeod said the society was partly spurred to act by 2022’s “Right to Read Inquiry Report” from the Ontario Human Rights Commission, which made 157 recommendations to address inequities related to reading instruction in that province.

He called the new guidelines “a big reminder” to pediatric providers, family doctors, school teachers and psychologists of the importance of literacy.

“Early identification of reading difficulty can truly change the trajectory of a child’s life.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2024.

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