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Cases of aggressive form of strep on the rise in Nova Scotia – CBC.ca

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Cases of invasive group A strep — a bacterial infection that can be deadly — are on the rise in Nova Scotia, according to figures provided by Nova Scotia Health.

According to the data, there were 96 cases last year, compared to 57 cases in 2018. There have been 10 cases so far this year.

Invasive group A streptococcal disease occurs when the common strep A bacteria spreads beyond the places it typically infects (such as the throat or skin) into sterile parts of the body, such as the bloodstream or the liquid around the brain, or into soft tissue, where it can cause necrotizing fasciitis, known as flesh-eating disease. 

Dr. Ryan Sommers, the senior regional medical officer of health at Nova Scotia Health, notes that the trend is not unique to the province.

The Public Health Agency of Canada has said more than 4,600 cases were confirmed in 2023 at the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg, an increase of more than 40 per cent over the previous yearly high in 2019.

The CBC’s Mainstreet spoke with Sommers about what’s driving the increase, and how to protect yourself.

Tell me about the number of cases we’ve seen in this province over the last few years.

In this past year, we’ve seen an increased number of cases of invasive group A strep in our province. Interestingly, we had some of the lowest rates during the first three years of the pandemic. As you may recall, during that time, one of the public health measures we used was to decrease the number of interactions with people. What we found was that those same measures prevented the spread of all kinds of other communicable diseases, so we saw a drop in invasive group A infections. And then as of mid-2022, with the removal of the public health measures throughout the world, we saw an increase in the number of cases of invasive group A strep. So we started seeing signs of this in places like the United Kingdom in the fall of last year and we’ve seen the trend continue in other parts of the world now too.

What age groups are we seeing affected by group A step?

Here in Nova Scotia, our trend has been primarily seeing disease in those over the age of 65. With this disease, the pattern usually is that the extremes of ages, so children under 5 and then those over 65, tend to be prone to getting it. And also those individuals who have certain chronic diseases or weakened immune systems. Young children are still developing their immune systems and they haven’t been exposed to these infections in the past. And as people get older, their immune system doesn’t work as well, or they have other chronic conditions that doesn’t allow their immune system to function as properly. So those are the groups that are most at risk in terms of deaths in Nova Scotia.

This table shows the number of Group A strep cases in Nova Scotia since 2018. (Nova Scotia Health Authority)

Is it normal to see cases as high as we did last year?

In the past, we’ve had times where we’ve seen more activity in those certain populations. What makes the past year or two interesting is, first of all, there’s a lot of kids who weren’t exposed to infections during the high point of the pandemic, so we did see a lot more of invasive group A strep. But probably the most important thing we saw in 2022 and from 2023 to 2024 is that a lot more people are getting viral infections. We know viruses like COVID-19, influenza virus and RSV — when you get those, you can be predisposed to getting a bacterial infection. Your immune system is busy fighting a viral illness and then a bacterial illness can come in and cause disease as well. So probably it’s a combination of factors. We had a really busy flu season last year. So as more people get exposed to viruses, there’s also a higher chance of them getting these secondary bacterial infections at the same time.

We’ve already seen 10 cases so far this year. Is that normal?

This year has been a little bit higher than than last year. It was interesting that other jurisdictions, they saw peaks in their invasive group A strep in the fall of 2022. We didn’t have that same type of increase. We’ve definitely seen more of it now in the 2023-2024 year. What we’re seeing this year is a typical flu season that matches the trends pre-pandemic. Flu seasons can start as early as November in the Maritimes and then sometime around the end of December and January is when we see peak numbers. Couple that with the holidays, when we have more people gathering together, we tend to see a lot more disease activity when it comes to the viral infections.

Mainstreet NS10:34Why strep throat infections are on the rise in Nova Scotia

Last year, Nova Scotia had its highest number of Group A Strep cases in six years with 96 cases across a range of ages. In 2024, there have already been 10 reported cases of the infection. Mainstreet’s Alex Guye is joined by Dr. Ryan Sommers, a senior regional medical officer with Nova Scotia Health, to learn more.

How can we mitigate the risk of getting group A strep?

The first thing to realize is that group A strep is a common bacteria. It’s part of the natural flora that exists in humans. The biggest thing to do is to be educated and be aware of the red flags. So what we tell people is if you have a fever that’s getting progressively worse, if you have someone — it could be a child or older person — that is not drinking as much, has decreased food intake or not producing as much urine as they usually do, or if they get more sleepy, lethargic, or they have a rash that’s worsening, those are big red flags that something else is going on and should be investigated by a health-care provider. Invasive group A strep infections can come on quickly, so it really is important to get assessed if someone has these worsening signs and symptoms. Having a viral infection before this can predispose someone to getting the bacterial infection, so we encourage people to be up to date on their annual vaccines, in particular the COVID-19 and influenza vaccines.

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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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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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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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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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