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Planning a winter escape? Experts caution rise of dengue fever in warm climates

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With a staggering global surge in dengue fever cases over the past years, health experts are warning Canadian travellers about the risks when journeying to warmer climates, including popular destinations in the southern United States.

Over the last 20 years, there has been a tenfold surge in dengue fever cases globally, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). The number of reported infections, which are transmitted to humans from mosquitoes, increased dramatically from 500,000 in the year 2000 to 5.2 million in 2019.

And with a warming climate, Michael Libman, a specialist in infectious disease and a professor at McGill University, cautions that there could be a continued rise in cases, particularly in warmer regions popular among Canadians seeking refuge during the winter.

“People have to be aware that when they go to any part of the world that’s warm, there is pretty much some risk of picking up a disease like dengue,” Libman said.

“Canadians love to leave Canada in the winter and go to places that are warmer, and almost all of those places have mosquitoes.”

The warning comes after European climate agency Copernicus on Tuesday said in its annual report that 2023 was the hottest year on record. Last year, the global average temperature was 14.98 C — the highest ever recorded since data collection began in 1850. The previous warmest year was 2016, when the average temperature recorded globally was 14.81 C.

The report also found that July and August 2023 were the hottest months ever recorded globally.

The dengue virus is not present in mosquitoes in Canada, but Libman warned that ongoing global warming, attributed to climate change, creates favourable conditions for mosquitoes that carry the virus.

“The risk of dengue does seem to be going up (in tropical regions), and climate change seems to be playing a role in this, which is very important because climate change doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon,” he said.I think the risk is increasing and people probably need to be a little bit more cautious.”

 

What is dengue fever?

Dengue is a disease spread to humans by female mosquito bites and can cause severe flu-like symptoms and in severe cases can be fatal, according to the Canadian government.

The disease is commonly found in tropical and subtropical parts of the world, like Africa, Central and South America, the Caribbean, the Eastern Mediterranean, South and Southeast Asia.

However, because warmer and wet conditions help mosquitoes multiply, dengue has also started to grow in places it was previously uncommon, like Florida, Hawaii, Texas, and Arizona, and parts of southern Europe.

“We’re most concerned about the fact that areas like the southern United States and Europe, as they get warmer and warmer each year, we are seeing that the kinds of mosquitoes that are able to carry dengue are being found more and more in those areas,” Libman said.

The symptoms of dengue fever typically include a sudden onset of high fever, severe headache, pain behind the eyes, joint and muscle pain, rash and mild bleeding. In some cases, dengue infection can progress to a more severe form known as dengue hemorrhagic fever or dengue shock syndrome, which can be life-threatening. It presents more severe symptoms such as persistent vomiting and difficulty breathing.

But most people who get infected have little or no symptoms, he said. And a very small portion who “get very sick” may develop fatal complications, he said. People can get tested for the virus if they have it.

“The thing about dengue, there’s nothing that will tell you automatically, ‘Oh, I’ve got dengue.’ The main thing … is just fever,” he explained. “Some people describe it as having an achy general malaise that they feel like a bus hit them. But not everybody gets sick.”

There are currently no treatment options for dengue.

 

A hotter planet means more dengue fever

The current El Niño cycle, which causes increased humidity and rainfall, has contributed to the proliferation of mosquitoes and dengue cases, Libman said.

However, he added that another, more worrisome reason is climate change.

“Over the last decades, climate change itself made more parts of the world more hospitable to mosquitoes,” he warned.

“We’re seeing dengue is going up in many parts of the world and appearing pretty regularly in parts of the world that didn’t used to have dengue at all because they weren’t really that hospitable to this type of mosquito.”

 

Are there travel advisories related to dengue?

The Canadian government does not have a travel advisory in place for dengue fever, but states on its website that “all travellers are at risk in areas where dengue occurs.”

The risk is also higher during the daytime, particularly around sunrise and sunset. Mosquitoes can transmit dengue even in shady areas, when it is overcast, or if you are indoors, it warned.

Unlike malaria, which is very regional to certain parts of the world, Libman explained that dengue is spread throughout the entire globe — mainly in warmer places that have mosquitoes.

“There’s no particular travel advisory because there’s no one area of the world where it’s really much more of a risk than another part of the world,” he explained. “Dengue is present where mosquito control is maybe not that good.”

 

How to stay safe

Although there are some vaccines available in parts of the world that are endemic to dengue as Thailand, Libman said that currently there are not any available for Canadians.

Several emerging options are in the development pipeline, including one vaccine that is currently undergoing Health Canada’s review, he said. It is anticipated this may potentially be on the market by the end of 2024.

In the meantime, it is all about prevention methods when staying safe in tropical and subtropical regions.

“Dengue is mostly a question of protecting yourself from mosquito bites,” Libman said.

He recommended using mosquito repellants, wearing long clothing, staying in air-conditioned or screened accommodations, and avoiding areas with standing water. 

“If you happen to be living in an area where there’s no air conditioning and there’s no screening, then you want to be using mosquito nets around your bed,” Libman recommended.

“But that’s kind of all we have for the moment,” he said. “We are looking forward to having vaccines that are reasonably effective. But for the moment, we don’t have that yet.”

— with files from Global News’ Saba Aziz

 

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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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