Sawatsky Sign-Off: Jessica's Journey
Adam finds out how a BC woman has turned a debilitating accident into an opportunity to empower herself and others.
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CBC
44 minutes ago
- CBC
Mosquito traps set and study launched in B.C.'s Sea-to-Sky region after illnesses reported
Social Sharing Mosquito traps have been set up across the Sea-to-Sky region in British Columbia as health officials launch a pilot project amid concerns of severe illness transmitted by the insects. Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) said Friday that there were four cases of mosquito-borne illnesses due to the California Serogroup viruses late last year, that resulted in swelling of the brain. Dr. Moliehi Khaketla, medical health officer for VCH, said in an interview that the viruses aren't new to B.C., but it's unusual to see these "very severe" human cases. "So, this prompted us to study further, just to see and better characterize what is happening within the Sea to Sky area," said Khaketla. Officials are asking people to take precautions against mosquito bites in the region, as they warn that mosquito activity could increase in B.C. as the weather gets warmer due to climate change. The health authority said those who have been in the Sea-to-Sky region and develop symptoms of severe headaches with fever or seizures are advised to seek care immediately. What's the buzz with mosquitoes this year? 17 days ago Mosquitoes are top of mind for many people going outside near sunrise and sunset. The tiny pests seem to always get in the way during these warm summer days. CBC's Tristan Mottershead has more on this year's mosquito scene. As part of the monitoring study, traps have already been set up in the Sea-to-Sky region — along Howe Sound and north to Whistler and Pemberton — where officials say all the patients likely acquired the infections in the area. The purpose of the traps is to understand the area's mosquitoes and the illnesses they spread. Dr. Rohit Vijh, another VCH medical health officer, told CBC News that the traps were being set up at sites identified by local First Nations and environmental scientists, after input from the four patients who reported serious illness. The health authority said the four patients have recovered from their illness. The mosquito project will last for three months, and Vancouver Coastal Health said it wants to learn more about the risk to the public. In the meantime, those in the area should take preventive measures against mosquito bites, it said. Measures to protect against bites include wearing protective clothing, and avoiding any stagnant water around backyards that can be pools for mosquito breeding, said Khaketla. Khaketla said the purpose of the study is to help health officers learn more about the mosquito population within that corridor and understand what specific viruses that they are carrying. "We wanted people to be aware of the mosquito circulation within the Sea to Sky area, as it is summer months, we expect mosquitoes to circulate." The mosquito-borne illnesses that officials investigated, part of the so-called California Serogroup viruses, usually do not cause symptoms, but when they do occur, they are flu-like, with a fever, headache, fatigue, and occasional nausea or vomiting. Climate change risk Officials say the specific viruses that caused illness in the Sea-to-Sky region were the Snowshoe Hare virus and the Jamestown Canyon virus. Vancouver Coastal Health said that, prior to this cluster of four cases, 10 cases associated with the two viruses were reported in B.C. since 2009, two of which were in the VCH region. The health authority said in a statement that cases of mosquito-borne illnesses usually occur between May to October when there is increased mosquito activity, but this period may be extended due to "increasingly warmer temperatures" from climate change. "As our temperatures rise, as well as the period of of increased heat becomes longer and there's more months, you will see more mosquito activity," Vijh said. "The longer summers you have, the more likely more of those [mosquito] eggs will be produced and survive over the winter," he added. Vancouver Coastal Health, the B.C. Centre for Disease Control, partners from the Lil'wat Nation and Squamish nations and the University of British Columbia will collaborate on the surveillance pilot project.
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
Health Canada announces major recall of salami brands due to potential salmonella contamination
Health Canada has announced a major recall of more than 60 salami and cacciatore products that were distributed in Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, Ontario, Quebec and Saskatchewan. Numerous brands which produce several different types of salami and cacciatore deli meats are included in the recall, as a result of possible salmonella contamination. The affected brands include: Bona Cosmo's Smoked Meats Imperial Meats Longos Luc's European Meats Cheese & Eats Marini Salumi Naturissimo P & E Foods Rea Speziale Fine Foods Superior Meats T.J. Meats Vince's Cured Meats Corp. What you should do? If you have bought any of these products, do not consume, serve, use, sell, or distribute them. Health Canada advises that the products should be thrown out or returned to the place where they were purchased. Illnesses and hospitalizations linked to salami products Earlier this week, Health Canada issued a recall for Rea's sweet soppressata salami due to possible salmonella contamination, which was distributed in Alberta, Ontario and Quebec. It came on the heels of a salmonella outbreak tied to pork deli meats sold at grocery stores and in prepared sandwiches. The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) said the infections are linked to Rea brand Genoa Salami Sweet, Rea brand Genoa Salami Hot and Bona brand Mild Genova Salami - which was recalled on June 10 in three provinces. Since April, 86 people have gotten sick and there have now been nine hospitalizations, according to the PHAC: one in B.C., 67 in Alberta, one in Manitoba and 17 in Ontario. salami and cacciatore Multiple brands of salami and cacciatore have been recalled due to potential salmonella contamination, according to Health Canada. (Health Canada) What is salmonella? Salmonella is a food-borne bacterial illness that can spread several days or weeks after a person is infected, even if they don't have symptoms. According to Health Canada, short-term symptoms include fever, headache, vomiting, nausea, abdominal cramps and diarrhea. Severe arthritis is a possibility in long-term complications. Those with weakened immune systems, children, pregnant women and the elderly could contract serious and sometimes deadly infections from salmonella. Food containing salmonella may not look or smell off but can still cause illness. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says most people who become ill from a salmonella infection can recover fully after a few days without treatment, while in other cases it can cause severe illness and hospitalization. Consumers are advised to stay vigilant and updated on the recalls by visiting the Government of Canada's Recalls and Safety Alerts page.
CTV News
2 hours ago
- CTV News
Man dies after heavy weight-training chain around neck pulls him into MRI machine
WESTBURY, N.Y. — A man who was pulled into an MRI machine in New York after he walked into the room wearing a large weight-training chain around his neck has died, according to police and his wife, who told a local television outlet that he waved goodbye before his body went limp. The man, 61, had entered an MRI room while a scan was underway Wednesday afternoon at Nassau Open MRI. The machine's strong magnetic force drew him in by the metallic chain around his neck, according to a release from the Nassau County Police Department. He died Thursday afternoon, but a police officer who answered the phone at the Nassau County police precinct where the MRI facility is located said the department had not yet been given permission to release the name Saturday. Adrienne Jones-McAllister told News 12 Long Island in a recorded interview that she was undergoing an MRI on her knee when she asked the technician to get her husband, Keith McAllister, to help her get off the table. She said she called out to him. She told News 12 that the technician summoned into the room her husband, who was wearing a 20-pound chain that he uses for weight training, an object they'd had a casual conversation about during a previous visit with comments like: 'Ooooooh, that's a big chain!' When he got close to her, she said, 'at that instant, the machine switched him around, pulled him in and he hit the MRI.' 'I said: 'Could you turn off the machine, call 911, do something, Turn this damn thing off!'' she recalled, as tears ran down her face. 'He went limp in my arms.' She said the technician helped her try to pull her husband off the machine but it was impossible. 'He waved goodbye to me and then his whole body went limp,' Jones-McAllister told the TV outlet. Jones-McAllister told News 12 that McAllister suffered heart attacks after he was freed from the MRI machine. A person who answered the phone at Nassau Open MRI on Long Island declined to comment Friday. The phone number went unanswered on Saturday. It wasn't the first New York death to result from an MRI machine. In 2001, six-year-old Michael Colombini of Croton-on-Hudson was killed at the Westchester Medical Center when an oxygen tank flew into the chamber, drawn in by the MRI's 10-ton electromagnet. In 2010, records filed in Westchester County revealed that the family settled a lawsuit for US$2.9 million. MRI machines 'employ a strong magnetic field' that 'exerts very powerful forces on objects of iron, some steels, and other magnetizable objects,' according to the National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, which says the units are 'strong enough to fling a wheelchair across the room.'
