Health

Fungus that causes white-nose syndrome in bats is found in B.C.

Published

1 year ago

April 5, 2023

A little brown bat with fungus on its nose that causes white-nose syndrome in New York.Ryan von Linden/The Canadian Press

A fungus that causes a fatal disease among bats has been detected in their guano near Grand Forks in B.C.’s Kootenay Boundary district, marking the first official confirmation of the condition in the province and putting those who monitor the nocturnal creatures on high alert.

The B.C. government announced the development Monday, saying it had been watching for the arrival of the fungus that causes white-nose syndrome in the province since it was detected on the west coast of the United States in 2016.

First discovered in New York state in 2006, WNS has spread to 38 states and eight provinces. The impact of the fungus has been greatest in eastern North America, but it is moving west: it was detected in Washington state in 2016, in Saskatchewan in 2021 and Alberta last year.

The disease is named for the white fungus that grows on the muzzle of affected bats while they hibernate. The fungus disturbs bats’ hibernation, making them wake up more frequently and increases the likelihood that they’ll burn through limited fat stores and starve to death. The fungus can rip quickly through caves where bats hibernate.

The death toll of the fungus has resulted in three Canadian bat species being listed as “endangered” under the federal Species at Risk Act, or SARA.

Because there is currently no proven prevention or treatment for WNS, the best approach for bat conservation is to support the mammal’s healthy populations, the B.C. government said in its release.

Those efforts can involve individuals who put up bat houses on their property, research scientists who collect guano for testing, and community groups that have embraced bats for their role in insect control and maintaining healthy ecosystems.

In Peachland, for example, the Bat Education & Ecological Protection Society was set up to protect a colony of little brown bats found in the attic of the Peachland Historic Schoolhouse. That species was listed under the SARA in 2014.

The bats, which usually come to the building from May to August, have become a tourist attraction, with people gathering in the evening to watch as many as 2,000 stream out of the building to feed and drink on hot summer nights, said BEEPS director Darlene Hartford.

The Peachland Volunteer Fire Crew drops by each fall to remove the season’s guano; a wooden floor was added to prevent any baby bats, known as pups, from getting snared in the building’s insulation; and BEEPS has installed cameras that have revealed insights into bat behaviour, such as “babysitter bats” that stay behind to look after pups when their mothers head out to feed, Ms. Hartford said.

BEEPS has been on high alert for WNS, especially since it was detected on the U.S. West Coast.

“It is definitely a concern for us – we have been monitoring since we started,” she said.

The B.C. Community Bat Program works with community groups such as BEEPS to encourage co-existence between bats and humans, and to advise property owners what to do if they find bats in their attic, eaves or barns.

A few B.C. species, including little brown bats, rely extensively on human-made structures for roosting and raising offspring, the group says. Summer roosts, like the Peachland school house, are used by female bats to give birth to and raise their pups in surroundings that are safe from predators. Most bats have only one pup a year.

The fungus is primarily spread by bat-to-bat contact and can sweep quickly through colonies. The fungus doesn’t affect humans, but humans may spread the fungus on clothes or other items or by forcing bats to move. Alberta has closed some caves to public access as a preventive measure.

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Health

How many Nova Scotians are on the doctor wait-list? Number hit 160,000 in June

Published

22 hours ago

September 11, 2024

Anne Joseph

HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.

The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.

Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.

“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”

The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.

A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.

Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.

“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.

Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.

The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.

“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.

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Health

Newfoundland and Labrador monitoring rise in whooping cough cases: medical officer

Published

2 days ago

September 10, 2024

Anne Joseph

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador‘s chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.

Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says that so far this year, the province has recorded 230 confirmed cases of the vaccine-preventable respiratory tract infection, also known as pertussis.

Late last month, Quebec reported more than 11,000 cases during the same time period, while Ontario counted 470 cases, well above the five-year average of 98. In Quebec, the majority of patients are between the ages of 10 and 14.

Meanwhile, New Brunswick has declared a whooping cough outbreak across the province. A total of 141 cases were reported by last month, exceeding the five-year average of 34.

The disease can lead to severe complications among vulnerable populations including infants, who are at the highest risk of suffering from complications like pneumonia and seizures. Symptoms may start with a runny nose, mild fever and cough, then progress to severe coughing accompanied by a distinctive “whooping” sound during inhalation.

“The public, especially pregnant people and those in close contact with infants, are encouraged to be aware of symptoms related to pertussis and to ensure vaccinations are up to date,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department said in a statement.

Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination is the most effective way to control the spread of the disease. As a result, the province has expanded immunization efforts this school year. While booster doses are already offered in Grade 9, the vaccine is now being offered to Grade 8 students as well.

Public health officials say whooping cough is a cyclical disease that increases every two to five or six years.

Meanwhile, New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health expects the current case count to get worse before tapering off.

A rise in whooping cough cases has also been reported in the United States and elsewhere. The Pan American Health Organization issued an alert in July encouraging countries to ramp up their surveillance and vaccination coverage.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.

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Health

Bizarre Sunlight Loophole Melts Belly Fat Fast!

Published

2 days ago

September 10, 2024

Sven Eggers

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