Mother urges parents to vaccinate kids after daughter's measles death
Measles may start like a bad cold — with symptoms like a high fever and cough — but in rare cases, it turns deadly. For one child, complications emerged about a decade later, robbing her of speech, movement and, eventually, her life.
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CTV News
4 hours ago
- CTV News
Who's at risk during B.C.'s first heat wave of 2025
A man cools off at a temporary misting station during a heat wave in Vancouver on Aug. 16, 2023. (Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press) While most of us will be enjoying the first heat wave of the year, health officials are warning that some British Columbians should watch for signs of trouble. Several health authorities published bulletins on Friday to urge the public to prepare for temperatures forecast to be in the mid-to-high twenties this weekend with plans to keep cool and hydrated. 'Though we haven't reached the criteria for a heat warning or an extreme heat emergency, there is some concern that people, especially those at higher risk, might be at increased risk,' said Dr. Michael Schwandt, a medical health officer with Vancouver Coastal Health. For example, seniors, young children and babies, those who are pregnant, diabetics, have heart or respiratory disease, have substance use disorder, have disabilities or cognitive impairments, and those living alone are at increased risk. Certain medications, like anti-psychotics and anti-depressants, as well as diuretics can make people more vulnerable. Anyone who's had heat stroke in the past is likely to have sensitivity to higher temperatures. Early season heat is different Though the temperatures will be significantly lower than the rare 2021 heat dome event, which saw 619 British Columbians die in record-shattering heat, this weekend's heat wave is still early in the year to see temperatures like those forecasted. 'Temperatures that might, by the end of the summer, not present much of a challenge can actually have a greater health impact early on in the summer,' explained Schwandt. 'This is because our bodies—although we can become acclimated to extreme heat quite quickly, actually in a matter of weeks—just haven't had that opportunity as we move from spring to summer.' The B.C. Centre for Disease Control says, 'Severe headache, confusion, unsteadiness, loss of thirst, nausea/vomiting, and dark urine or no urine are signs of dangerous heat-related illness.' SFU researchers urge long-term planning As public health leaders and municipalities urge people to take steps to respond to the heat on the horizon, researchers at Simon Fraser University want them to think about mitigating the risks for years to come with concrete action in the near-term. Associate professor in urban planning, Andreanne Doyon, analyzed more than 240 documents with her co-author and concluded there are gaps in planning for future events like the fatal heat dome of 2021, without a government agency – or even level of government – responsible for quarterbacking future planning. 'Every summer we're going to experience this, and our buildings and our neighborhoods have never been built with heat in mind because we're temperate place,' she said. While the BC Building Code was updated last year to include maximum acceptable temperatures for new home construction, retrofitting older buildings with air conditioning and the requisite power upgrades, or replacing windows and insulation are much more complicated and less feasible. Concrete jungles without tree canopy or shady areas were also identified as factors that built 'heat islands' and contributed to the death toll. 'I want people planning for heat in February, not July,' said Doyon. 'It should be something that we're always prepared for and always thinking about.'
Globe and Mail
6 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
B.C. launches $5-million ad campaign to recruit American doctors, nurses
British Columbia has launched a six-week, $5-million campaign of targeted advertisements to recruit doctors and nurses in the United States, citing 'chaos' under the Trump administration to lure them north. The Ministry of Health said the campaign launched on Monday was being shown on thousands of advertising screens in Washington, Oregon and California, at locations within a 16-kilometre radius of health care facilities, as well as on podcasts and Netflix shows. B.C. Health Minister Josie Osborne said at a news conference it was a step B.C. needed to 'take right now' to attract physicians, nurses and other health care workers, and the province would do everything in its power to ease their transition. 'This will help supercharge our overall recruitment campaign to attract U.S. health care workers to B.C.,' she said. Opinion: How to win a trade war Fentanyl czar focused on combatting opioid trade, despite tariff distraction In one of the ads, a disgruntled-looking woman in hospital scrubs listens to 'more news from Washington' before the scene cuts to outdoor views of British Columbia, and listeners are urged to 'follow your heart' to the province. Osborne said the campaign was expected to reach about 250,000 health care workers. She said B.C. was 'taking advantage of the uncertainty and chaos' in the United States after the election of President Donald Trump by reaching out to health workers who shared the values of the province's health care system. One ad says recruits can 'practice evidence-based care' in B.C., while another promises 'universal health care that puts people first.' Looming over these efforts is the question of whether B.C.'s public single-payer system offers sufficient financial incentives. Osborne said it was difficult to directly compare physician salaries in B.C. with those in the United States. 'But I can say that with some of the recent changes we've made, and how we pay family doctors, we know that we have competitive salaries,' she said. 'We also know that we offer very competitive salaries for nursing. We offer some of the highest nursing wages in Canada. We also know, though, that doctors are not just motivated by dollars and cents.' Osborne said nearly 1,600 health care providers had already expressed an interest in moving to B.C. even before the ads launched. These included 700 doctors and 500 nurses, but she could not say how many had made it to B.C. 'We're going to do everything we can to attract as many physicians and nurses as possible,' she said without giving a specific target number. 'Ultimately, the success is measured by what people experience in their communities,' she added. She said B.C. would eventually expand international recruitment to other jurisdictions, likening the process to hitting a target. 'We've got the U.S. right in the centre, the bull's eye, and then right outside in the next rings, are countries like the United Kingdom,' she said. 'That's where we'll be focusing our efforts next.'
CTV News
7 hours ago
- CTV News
B.C. targets U.S. doctors and nurses with recruitment ads near American hospitals
B.C. Minister of Health Josie Osborne in a file photo in Burnaby, B.C., on Monday, June 10, 2024. (Darryl Dyck / The Canadian Press) British Columbia has launched a six-week, $5-million campaign of targeted advertisements to recruit doctors and nurses in the United States. The Ministry of Health says the campaign launched on Monday is being shown on thousands of advertising screens in Washington, Oregon and California, at locations within a 16-kilometre radius of health-care facilities, as well as on podcasts and Netflix shows. B.C. Health Minister Osborne says it's a step B.C. needs to 'take right now' to attract physicians, nurses and other health care workers, and the province will do everything in its power to ease their transition. In one of the ads, a disgruntled-looking woman in hospital scrubs listens to 'news from Washington' before the scene cuts to outdoor views of British Columbia, and listeners are urged to follow their hearts to the province. Osborne says B.C. is 'taking advantage of the certainty and chaos' in the United States after the election of President Donald Trump by reaching out to health workers who share the values of the province's health care system. One ad says recruits can 'practice evidence-based care' in B.C., while another promises 'universal health care that puts people first.' Osborne says nearly 1,600 health-care providers have already expressed an interest in moving to B.C. even before the ads launched, including 700 doctors and 500 nurses, but she could not say how many have made it to B.C. She says B.C. will eventually expand its international recruitment to other jurisdictions, including the United Kingdom. This report by Wolfgang Depner of The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025.
