'How's my technique?' Your handwashing habits still need work
A Canadian microbiologist says pandemic handwashing habits likely didn't stick. An Ottawa hospital is turning to technology to make sure they get better.
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Globe and Mail
24 minutes ago
- Globe and Mail
Pitching in: Donating $11-million to support Canada's next generation of entrepreneurs
The organizers: Tim Price, Frances Price, Reza Satchu and Marion Annau The pitch: Donating $11-million The cause: NEXT Canada Tim Price has more than 40 years of experience in the business world, but he still remembers being impressed by the group of young entrepreneurs he met seven years ago. Mr. Price, who is chair of Brookfield Funds of Brookfield Corp., was attending an event at NEXT Canada, a Toronto-based charity that provides a range of programs to support entrepreneurs. During the event, the budding businesspeople had just four minutes each to describe their idea and their strategy to make it work. And then they faced feedback from the audience. 'I started to write down the names of the 12 that were presenting,' Mr. Price recalled. 'And I quickly couldn't tell one for each other, but the feeling I got was that these kids have in themselves the strength to carry on whatever they're going to face. Because they're going to be beaten down time and time again, and they're going to have problems, but they're going to be supported here so they know they get a feeling for what they can do.' Mr. Price was so taken by NEXT that he joined the board of directors and became a financial supporter. He and his wife, Frances, recently pledged $10-million over the next ten years. Their gift prompted one of NEXT's co-founders, Reza Satchu, and his partner, Marion Annau, to donate $1-million. Mr. Satchu, who has founded several ventures and teaches at Harvard Business School, said the objective of NEXT is to provide instruction, mentorship and opportunities for Canada's brightest innovators. 'The first thing we wanted to do was make sure this was the most rigorous, demanding, program in the country,' he said. NEXT has three branches aimed at young entrepreneurs, company founders and start ups that use artificial intelligence. All three are 'very competitive with high accountability, high standards, high expectations,' said Mr. Satchu. Mr. Price said he still gets a thrill when he attends NEXT's events and listens to the pitches. 'It's just so exciting to be part of this,' he said. 'There's no government involved. It's all philanthropy. It's all the kids and how they react. Everything is so damn positive.'
CTV News
26 minutes ago
- CTV News
Tick treatment: N.B. pharmacist explains what to do if you've been bitten
Products used in the prevention and removal of ticks are pictured on a store shelf. Inside Ford's Family Pharmacy & Wellness Centre in Moncton, N.B., there's a shelf dedicate to tick-prevention and removal – items that Pharmacist and Owner, Peter Ford says are becoming more popular as tick bites rise across the Maritimes. 'I think we've done 12 cases so far,' said Ford. 'I think maybe last year we did two, so it's been pretty prevalent and they're even in people's gardens.' Ford says many clients remove the tick before coming into the pharmacy but it's not as simple as just brushing it off your arm or leg. 'Get a nice pair of tweezers or you can get a tick remover which kind of pinches the tick,' he said. 'You want to get the whole body out intact because that's how we evaluate whether or not it's a Lyme tick or not, or a deer tick, and how long it's been feeding by the size of the belly of the tick itself.' Ford says people need to preserve the tick in a jar, bag or vial so that it can be inspected to determine the proper treatment. 'The bullseye rash is not always present,' he said. 'Sometimes it's absent, like of the 12 that we've done I think I've only seen the bullseye rash once, so it's not always that common. Fever and flu-like symptoms are tell-tale signs of infection, said Ford. He said they monitor patients and prescribe dozycycline as necessary. The pharmacy follows up within 24 to 48 hours to make sure no other symptoms arise. 'It's a single dose treatment and that prevents the Lyme but we have to get it within three days of the bite,' said Ford. Ford says it's important for people to do a full inspection if they're near the woods, or even just outside. He says ticks are small enough to miss but people can look for a red dot – like a pimple – and any black colouration surrounding the area. James Donald of Hiking NB and Paddling NB says he tries to get out on the trail or the water at least twice a week. He said he's seen more people with the socks wrapped over their pant legs for protection. Both he and his wife have experience with ticks. 'She went through the whole shots, treatment and everything and then we were actually at a hike summit down in Nova Scotia, which they're actually a lot thicker down there in the southern part of Nova Scotia, and I had my first tick experience there.' Ford said the pants he wears now are treated with the tick repellant permethrin. 'The problem is when you're in long grass and things are touching your legs and stuff that's kind of where they hang out and then they grab on and hold on and try to climb into any nook and cranny they can find on you.' According to the New Brunswick Pharmacists' Association 'your overall risk of developing Lyme disease after a high-risk tick bite is approximately three per cent and the tick needs to be attached to your skin for more than 24 hours to transmit the bacteria.' The Association also says that clothes should be put in the dryer on high heat for at least 10 minutes or in a hot wash cycle to help kill off any ticks. It also recommends having a shower or bath to rinse away any that might not have attached yet. Ford says it's also important to check pets. He says you should check with your pharmacist if you're using preventative sprays or oils to make sure they are safe for every member of the family. For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTV News
41 minutes ago
- CTV News
B.C. mom calls for stricter controls after opioids swapped for son's ADHD medicine
A mother on Vancouver Island is speaking out after she says she was accidentally given the wrong medicine for her son's ADHD. A mother on Vancouver Island is speaking out after she says she was accidentally given the wrong medicine for her son's ADHD. Shoppers Drug Mart says an internal investigation is underway after a mix-up at one of its pharmacies in British Columbia dispensed a powerful prescription painkiller in place of a young child's ADHD medication. Sarah Paquin says her son Declan has been taking dextroamphetamine to treat his ADHD for years, typically sourced from the same Shoppers Drug Mart pharmacy in Comox where the prescription was again refilled last week. 'It wasn't until the next morning, when my husband went to give our son the medication before school, that he noticed that they were a different colour,' she told CTV News. When her husband checked the label on the bottle, he saw that the pills contained a high dosage of hydromorphone, a highly addictive opiate used to treat severe pain. Paquin says her son was moments away from ingesting the drug. 'They were in his hands,' she said. 'He would have had this high dosage of morphine and been sent off to school, unknowingly.' Paquin's husband returned the prescription later that day and told the pharmacist what had happened. The franchise owner called the family on Wednesday to apologize, she said. 'He did also let me know that the employee that I dealt with has been suspended while they do their own internal investigation,' Paquin added. In a statement Thursday, Shoppers Drug Mart's parent company Loblaw described the medicine mix-up as 'a case of human error, one that never should have happened.' 'We have controls in place to minimize risks like this – where the patient was handed the wrong prescription bag,' the statement said, adding the store's management is reviewing those controls with employees to prevent similar mistakes in the future. 'The owner of this location has reached out to the patient's parents to apologize for any undue stress this may have caused, and to outline the corrective steps,' the statement concluded. Paquin says she has filed a complaint with the College of Pharmacists of B.C. about the potentially dangerous error. She urges all patients and parents to 'double-, triple-, quadruple-check every prescription you pick up, whether you've been going to that pharmacy for years, whether it's a medication you've been on for years.' The College of Pharmacists of B.C., which regulates all pharmacies in the province, declined an interview about the incident and would not answer specific questions about the mistake, citing patient privacy concerns. Instead, college spokesperson Lesley Chang provided an emailed statement confirming the regulator has been in contact with the family. 'The College of Pharmacists of B.C. takes all medication incidents very seriously, as public health and safety is our highest priority,' Chang wrote. 'It's important to know that pharmacists are legally required to speak with clients about the prescriptions they are picking up. The consultation is to make sure clients understand their medication, how to take it properly, and address any questions. As part of this, pharmacists are required to confirm client identity, name and strength of drug, purpose of drug, directions, and other information with the client or their representative at the time of dispensing.' Despite those requirements, Paquin says steps to verify the right medication went to the right patient were missed. 'It's just terrifying. We put our trust in these local professionals to be upholding their end,' she said. 'I think this was entirely avoidable.' With files from CTV News Vancouver Island's Andy Garland
