adplus-dvertising
Connect with us

Health

Premier John Horgan says a Vancouver Island travel ban is a possibility – CBC.ca

Published

 on


While the vast majority of the hundreds of new COVID-19 cases being reported every day in B.C. are concentrated in Metro Vancouver, all five of the provincial health regions are contributing to the growing total.

With British Columbians now in the middle of the pandemic’s second wave, it is understandable people want to know if further orders and restrictions are on the way. 

B.C. Premier John Horgan, in an interview Tuesday with CBC’s On The Island host Gregor Craigie, discussed the current state of affairs and what may, or may not, change in the coming days.

300x250x1

How concerned are you about the latest numbers?

These numbers are troubling, particularly in the Fraser Health Authority. [The COVID-19 situation] on the Island has been pretty good over the past 10 months, but we’ve seen an increase over the past week and that’s troubling for we islanders.

We’ve been very responsive as a community here on the Island particularly, but also right across B.C.

So Dr. Henry has brought in new orders and again tried to reinforce with people that we need to get back to the good practices we demonstrated at the start of the pandemic if we’re going to bend the curve.

Island Health Medical Officer Dr. Richard Stanwick says he is compiling data to show your government it should consider further travel restrictions to and from Vancouver Island. Is that something you would consider?

Absolutely. We value Dr. Stanwick’s input, working with Dr. Henry and other health officials. We’re following the science and that’s the only way to get through this.

We have not yet put in place sufficient data to make blanket restrictions to and from different places, but Dr. Henry has brought in orders to restrict non-essential travel. So if you were planning on going storm watching in Tofino this weekend, it’s not a good time to do that.

I wonder about this encouraging rather than enforcing approach. While masks are mandatory on ferries and in medical buildings, does it concern you that people are not wearing masks everywhere?

It does disappoint me that British Columbians are just disregarding good advice. But the biggest challenges where we are seeing outbreaks is at private gatherings, not at the grocery store.  

A mandatory mask requirement would not have had an impact, for example, on people gathering in large numbers for a Thanksgiving meal back in October or on people having a crew over to watch a football game. 

We don’t want to use a stick. We believe that common sense has worked very well for B.C. and I’m going to stick with that until Dr. Henry advises otherwise. 

But at some point, if the numbers keep going up, would you be willing to reconsider that and move to the stick?

Absolutely. And I’m not suggesting that we will not go there, but I’m waiting for the science to tell us to do that. Dr. Henry would prefer, and I agree, that we focus on the trouble spots right now — which are gymnasiums that have too many people and people spreading the virus at physical fitness facilities.

As we get into the depth of fall, and a second wave is clearly upon us, all of us have to focus on keeping each other safe and being mindful of our neighbours and that’s the best advice possible. Fines will also be issued when appropriate.

But the mandatory mask mandate has become an issue that everyone has an opinion on and I’m going to take the opinion of Dr. Henry, Dr. Stanwick and others when it comes to that. 

What about financial aid? Will you be able to call the legislature back soon enough to issue the $1,000 cheques that were promised in the election campaign? 

That’s our hope, but because of the extraordinary time we’re in, I don’t want to make promises that I can’t keep.

I can promise that the COVID benefit will be distributed to British Columbians and the Ministry of Finance is working on it now.

We will require legislative approval and swearing in ceremonies are happening next week. MLAs will then vote on the package and we hoped to do that in December and have the dollars rolling out before Christmas. So it will certainly be by early in the New Year, if not before.

This interview aired on CBC’s On The Island on Nov. 17 and has been edited for clarity and structure. To hear the complete interview, tap the audio link below:

On The Island11:00CBC On The Island interview with Premier John Horgan

Gregor Craigie spoke with BC Premier John Horgan about latest developments in COVID-19 numbers in the province, and plans for his new cabinet. 11:00

Let’s block ads! (Why?)

728x90x4

Source link

Continue Reading

Health

Measles case reported locally turns out to be negative: health unit

Published

 on

NEWS RELEASE
SIMCOE MUSKOKA DISTRICT HEALTH UNIT
*************************
On March 26, the Simcoe Muskoka District Health Unit (SMDHU) was notified by Public Health Ontario’s (PHO) laboratory that due to laboratory error, the case of measles that had been lab-confirmed positive on March 12, based on symptoms and a positive urine measles laboratory result by PHO’s laboratory, is in fact negative for the measles virus.

“With this new information of the negative lab result, we believe that that individual was not infected with measles and that there has not been any public exposure to measles resulting from this individual’s illness,” said Dr. Charles Gardner, medical officer of health. “We recognize that notifying the public of what we believed to be a positive measles case in our area created worry, anxiety and disruption for some, and we regret this.

“We do know that, despite best efforts, on rare occasions laboratory errors can occur. We are working closely with the PHO’s laboratory to do all that we can to ensure that such an incident does not occur again.”

Measles is a highly contagious viral infection that spreads very easily through airborne transmission. The measles virus can live in the air or on surfaces for up to two hours.

300x250x1

Symptoms of measles begin seven to 21 days after exposure and include fever, runny nose, cough, drowsiness, and red eyes. Small white spots appear on the inside of the mouth and throat but are not always present. Three to seven days after symptoms begin, a red, blotchy rash appears on the face and then progresses down the body.

The risk of transmission to those vaccinated with two doses is low, and when it does occur tends to show a reduction in the severity of these symptoms.

“Although we are relieved for the individual involved, and for all Simcoe-Muskoka residents, that this case has now been confirmed as negative, we know that measles is still active in Ontario at this time and the potential remains for new cases to arise, especially given the increase in Ontarians travelling to areas in the world that have higher numbers of measles cases,” said Dr. Gardner. “This is why we continue to advise individuals to keep up to date with their routine immunizations, including measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccination.”

The risk of measles is low for people who have been fully immunized with two doses of measles vaccine or those born before 1970; however, many children have been delayed in receiving their routine childhood immunizations and people who have not had two doses of measles vaccine are at higher risk of contracting the disease.

People who do get sick usually recover without treatment, but measles can be more severe for infants, pregnant women, and those with compromised immune systems. Possible complications include middle-ear infections, pneumonia, diarrhea, or encephalitis (swelling of the brain) and occasionally death in the very young. Even individuals who are up to date with the measles vaccine should watch for symptoms of measles for 21 days after exposure.

For more information about measles, please visit smdhu.org or call Health Connection at 705-721-7520 or 1-877-721-7520, Monday to Friday between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. to speak with a public health professional.

*************************

Adblock test (Why?)

728x90x4

Source link

Continue Reading

Health

Kate Middleton Not Alone. Cancer On Rise For People Under 50, Say Experts

Published

 on

<!–

–>

Kate Middleton revealed on Friday that her cancer was discovered after she received abdominal surgery

London:

300x250x1

When Catherine, Princess of Wales, revealed she was being treated for cancer last week, part of the shock was that an otherwise healthy 42-year-old has a disease that mostly plagues older people.

However, researchers have been increasingly sounding the alarm that more and more people under 50 are getting cancer — and no one knows why.

Across the world, the rate of under-50s diagnosed with 29 common cancers surged by nearly 80 percent between 1990 and 2019, a large study in BMJ Oncology found last year.

window._rrCode = window._rrCode || [];_rrCode.push(function() (function(v,d,o,ai)ai=d.createElement(“script”);ai.defer=true;ai.async=true;ai.src=v.location.protocol+o;d.head.appendChild(ai);)(window, document, “//a.vdo.ai/core/v-ndtv/vdo.ai.js”); );

The researchers predicted the number of new cancer cases among younger adults will rise another 30 percent by the end of this decade, with wealthy countries particularly affected.

The increase in cases — and soaring global population — means that the number of deaths among under 50s from cancer has risen by nearly 28 percent over the last 30 years.

This occurred even as the odds of people of all ages surviving cancer have roughly doubled over the last half century.

Shivan Sivakumar, a cancer researcher at the UK’s University of Birmingham, called it an “epidemic” of young adult cancer.

Since Kate Middleton revealed on Friday that her cancer was discovered after she received abdominal surgery earlier this year, Sivakumar and other doctors have spoken out about the uptick in younger cancer patients they have been seeing at their clinics.

While breast cancer remains the most common for people under 50, the researchers expressed particular concern about the rise of gastrointestinal cancers — such as of the colon, pancreas, liver and oesophagus — in younger adults.

Colon cancer is now the leading cause of cancer deaths in men under 50 in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society. For women, it is number two — behind only breast cancer.

One high profile case of colorectal cancer was “Black Panther” actor Chadwick Boseman, who died at the age of 43 in 2020.

Why is this happening?

“We just don’t have the evidence yet” to say exactly what is causing this rise, Sivakumar told AFP, adding it was likely a combination of factors.

Helen Coleman, a cancer epidemiology professor at Queen’s University Belfast who has studied early onset cancer in Northern Ireland, told AFP there were two potential explanations.

One is that people in their 40s were exposed to factors known to cause cancer — such tobacco smoke, alcohol or being obese — at an earlier age than previous generations.

She pointed out that the “obesity epidemic” did not start until the 1980s.

Sivakumar felt that at least part of the puzzle could be explained by obesity.

However, there is “another wave” of under-50 patients who are neither obese nor genetically predisposed still getting cancer, he emphasised, adding that this could not be put down to “statistical chance”.

The other theory, Coleman said, is that “something different” has been going on with her generation.

Fingers have been pointed out a range of possible culprits — including chemicals, new drugs and microplastics — but none have been proven.

Some have suggested that so-called ultra-processed foods could be to blame. “But there’s very little data to back any of that up,” Coleman said.

Another theory is that the food we eat could be changing our gut microbiome.

While there is nothing conclusive yet, Coleman said her own research suggested that cancer causes changes to the microbiome, not the other way around.

Anti-vaxx conspiracy theorists have even tried to blame Covid-19 vaccines.

This is easily disproven, because the rise in young adult cancer has taken place over decades, but the vaccines have only been around for a few years.

What can be done?

To address the rise in younger colorectal cancer, in 2021 the US lowered the recommended age for screening to 45. Other countries have yet to follow suit.

But the researchers hoped that Catherine’s experience would remind people at home that they should consult their doctor if they sense anything is wrong.

“People know their bodies really well,” Sivakumar said.

window._rrCode = window._rrCode || [];_rrCode.push(function(){ (function(d,t) var s=d.createElement(t); var s1=d.createElement(t); if (d.getElementById(‘jsw-init’)) return; s.setAttribute(‘id’,’jsw-init’); s.setAttribute(‘src’,’https://www.jiosaavn.com/embed/_s/embed.js?ver=’+Date.now()); s.onload=function()document.getElementById(‘jads’).style.display=’block’;s1.appendChild(d.createTextNode(‘JioSaavnEmbedWidget.init(a:”1″, q:”1″, embed_src:”https://www.jiosaavn.com/embed/playlist/85481065″,”dfp_medium” : “1”,partner_id: “ndtv”);’));d.body.appendChild(s1);; if (document.readyState === ‘complete’) d.body.appendChild(s); else if (document.readyState === ‘loading’) var interval = setInterval(function() if(document.readyState === ‘complete’) d.body.appendChild(s); clearInterval(interval); , 100); else window.onload = function() d.body.appendChild(s); ; )(document,’script’); });

“If you really feel that something isn’t right, don’t delay — just get yourself checked out.”

Adblock test (Why?)

728x90x4

Source link

Continue Reading

Health

Almost 3,000 students suspended in Waterloo Region over immunization issues

Published

 on

Close to 3,000 children attending elementary school across Waterloo Region were suspended from school on Wednesday morning for not having up-to-date immunization records.

The region says Waterloo Public Health suspended 2,969 students under the Immunization of School Pupils Act (ISPA).

For several months, the region has been campaigning for people to get their children’s vaccinations up to date, including sending letters home to parents on a couple of occasions, warning that students’ records needed to be up to date or they would be suspended.

300x250x1

It announced in January that 32,000 students did not have up-to-date records: 22,000 elementary students and 10,000 high school students.


The latest health and medical news
emailed to you every Sunday.

“We have made remarkable progress from the original 27,567 immunization notices we sent to parents in November and December 2023,” Dr. Hsiu-Li Wang, medical officer of health, stated.

“Since that time, we have resolved more than 24,500 outdated vaccination records, providing students with valuable protection against these serious and preventable diseases.”

The high school students still have a few weeks to get their records up to date or else face suspension.

The ISPA requires students to have proof-of-vaccination records for diphtheria, polio, tetanus, pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella, varicella (chickenpox) and meningitis, which must be on file with public health.

Public health says caregivers whose children are suspended will need to book an appointment at regionofwaterloo.ca/vaccines for clinics, which will be held in Cambridge and Waterloo on weekdays.

“Given the high number of suspensions, it may take several days before you can be seen at an appointment and return your child to school,” a release from the region warns.

“Record submission and questions must be done in person to ensure immediate resolution.”

The last time suspensions over immunizations were issued was in 2019, when 1,032 students were suspended.

Adblock test (Why?)

728x90x4

Source link

Continue Reading

Trending