Latest news with #PublicHealthAgencyofCanada
Epoch Times
6 days ago
- General
- Epoch Times
COVID Shifted Parents' Views on Vaccines for Kids, Half Concerned With Side Effects: Public Health Report
The COVID-19 pandemic led to a significant shift in parental views on vaccination, with approximately half of parents surveyed citing concerns about vaccine side effects, a government report suggests. The report from the Public Health Agency of Canada on vaccine uptake said the pandemic 'yielded a large shift in Canadians' knowledge, attitudes and beliefs towards vaccinations.'
Winnipeg Free Press
27-05-2025
- Health
- Winnipeg Free Press
Data analysis complete in New Brunswick's mystery brain disease; results in summer
FREDERICTON – The office of New Brunswick's chief medical officer says it has completed the first step of data analysis in its investigation into an undiagnosed neurological illness that has affected more than 400 people. Chief medical officer Dr. Yves Léger announced today that results from the analysis have been turned over to the Public Health Agency of Canada for scientific review, which will offer formal feedback. Léger says the findings will help the province determine next steps in caring for these patients, most of whom are in the Acadian Peninsula and Moncton areas. Their symptoms include memory problems and bursts of intense pain. Léger says the investigation could determine whether environmental substances have any role to play in patients' health, and results are expected this summer. In 2022, the Health Department under the province's former Progressive Conservative government said a team of six neurologists and other health experts found no evidence of a neurological illness after their investigation of 48 patients. And another study released earlier this month also found no evidence to support claims of a mystery brain disease in New Brunswick, suggesting the media may have played a role in feeding patients' fears. Wednesdays A weekly look towards a post-pandemic future. That study was compiled by researchers with the University of Toronto, New Brunswick's Horizon Health Network and other Canadian institutions This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 27, 2025.
Global News
17-05-2025
- Health
- Global News
Tick season is back. How to stay safe around these risky bloodsuckers
As Canadians flock outdoors for hiking, gardening and sunshine this spring, an unwelcome guest is making its seasonal return: ticks. Thanks to warming winters and milder temperatures, ticks are thriving in more parts of the country than ever before — bringing a growing risk of tick-borne illnesses like Lyme disease. Black-legged ticks, the species responsible for most Lyme disease cases in Canada, are expanding their range rapidly and are now found in parts of every southern province. This spread is closely tied to climate change, which allows ticks to survive winter and move into once-too-cold regions, putting more people and pets at risk. Although there are more than 40 tick species in Canada, the most common one is the black-legged tick, also known as the deer tick, and its numbers are on the rise. These ticks become active once temperatures hit 4 C, and they'll start looking for a blood meal from animals — or humans. Story continues below advertisement 1:52 Rare tick-borne disease is spreading in Canada, here's what you should know 'The black-legged tick and the western black-legged tick out in the West carry Lyme disease and other diseases. So when we're bitten by ticks, we're at risk of acquiring these diseases,' said Dr. Sarah Keating with the Canadian Lyme Disease Foundation. This is because ticks are really good at spreading disease, she said. They have their own microbiome, just like we do, full of various microorganisms. When a tick starts feeding, some of these organisms can move into its salivary glands. Then, as the tick injects saliva into our skin to keep the blood flowing and avoid detection, those pathogens can enter our bloodstream and potentially cause disease. More than just a bite Milder winters mean more ticks can survive winter under leaf litter, Keating said. Story continues below advertisement 'In the past, when we had very cold winters, ticks would come on migratory birds. But now they are surviving, and it's becoming much more, particularly in certain areas of Canada … Nova Scotia, southern Quebec, southern Ontario, and southern Manitoba and southern B.C.' And the numbers back that up. Lyme disease is on the rise in Canada. In 2009, there were just 144 reported cases across the country, according to data from the Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC). By 2021, that number had jumped to more than 2,800. Get weekly health news Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday. Sign up for weekly health newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy That spike lines up with the growing range of black-legged ticks, which are now found in parts of every southern province. Warmer weather and shifting ecosystems are helping these ticks spread north at a rate of 35 to 55 kilometres each year, studies suggest. While Lyme disease is the most well-known tick-borne illness in Canada, it's far from the only one. As black-legged ticks expand their territory, so does the range of diseases they can carry — and scientists are discovering new threats all the time. Story continues below advertisement 'Babesiosis is a big one,' Keating said. 'There are also illnesses like ehrlichiosis, anaplasmosis and Rocky Mountain spotted fever. New pathogens are being discovered all the time.' These lesser-known infections can sometimes be serious, especially for people with weakened immune systems. Lyme disease is caused by the Borrelia burgdorferi bacterium, which ticks can transmit to humans through a bite. It's treatable, but early detection is key. 2:16 Woman opts for assisted death after years of struggling with Lyme disease 'If someone knows they've been bitten by a tick and they develop a rash or flu-like symptoms shortly after, antibiotics can usually clear it up,' Keating said. 'The problem is, many people don't even know they've been bitten. The ticks can be tiny and bite you somewhere you don't see — like your scalp or back.' Symptoms of Lyme disease often appear in stages. In the early phase, people might notice a bull's-eye rash around the bite, fatigue, fever or muscle aches. If untreated, the infection can progress to more serious complications. Story continues below advertisement 'After a few weeks, the nervous system can become involved — you might see facial paralysis like Bell's palsy, joint pain and ongoing fatigue,' she said. 'If it becomes chronic, it can even affect the brain and lead to mental health challenges like depression or, in rare cases, psychosis.' Tick checks are key As ticks become more common across Canada, experts stress the importance of doing regular tick checks, especially after spending time outdoors in grassy, wooded or brushy areas. 'It's very important when people have been outside, especially in the forest or in long grasses, to do a tick check when they come back inside … a complete body tick check, including the scalp, and also to check young children who can't check themselves,' Keating said. But ticks aren't just a problem in the woods; they can also be found in urban areas, including city parks and backyards, explained Justin Wood, CEO of Geneticks, a Canadian company that tests ticks for Lyme disease. Story continues below advertisement 3:49 Tick Season: Essential tips to protect your pets 'What I always tell people is that anywhere that birds can go, ticks can go as well,' he said. 'Ticks often attach to birds and that's how they kind of move around locally and across the country, even across the continent.' Wood also stressed the importance of doing a thorough tick check after spending time outdoors. While adult ticks are easier to spot — about the size of a blueberry when fully engorged — nymphs can be much harder to see, sometimes no bigger than a freckle. If you do find a tick, he said, the first thing to do is safely remove it. This can be done by using fine-tipped tweezers to grasp the tick as close to the skin as possible, then pulling upward. Story continues below advertisement 'As soon as the tick is off, you can start making decisions about what to do next. Our suggestion is always to test the ticks,' Wood said. 'We don't have great diagnostics in the early stages of Lyme disease, so if you've been bitten, it can be very difficult to tell in the earlier stages if there's been transmission of disease. Testing ticks can help people make more informed decisions with the help of their health-care practitioner about what the best next steps are.' Besides doing tick checks, there are other effective ways to help prevent tick bites. Wearing long sleeves and pants, using insect repellent with DEET or icaridin and sticking to the centre of trails can all reduce your risk, he said. What about pets? Pets, especially dogs, can be a major pathway for ticks to enter your home, even if they're not showing any signs of a bite. Story continues below advertisement 'There are preventative medications that can either be taken once a month or once every three months that prevent ticks in dogs,' Keating said. 'If a tick bites the animal, it'll drop off immediately.' Still, she warned that ticks can hitch a ride in a dog's fur and make their way into your home, even if they don't bite your pet. View image in full screen Ticks love to hitch a ride on dogs, so it's important to check them after they've been outside, experts say. Global News 'If they're sitting on your lap or sleeping on your bed, the ticks can then crawl onto the humans,' she said. 'That is a significant risk for pet owners.' Doing tick checks on pets, especially after walks or time outside, is just as important as checking yourself. But it's not always easy. 'I have a big black dog,' Keating added, 'and it's difficult to find ticks on him.' Story continues below advertisement She encouraged pet owners to talk to their veterinarians about tick prevention and medication available.
Hamilton Spectator
16-05-2025
- Health
- Hamilton Spectator
No detection of bird flu among Yukon wildlife in 2025 so far
There are no confirmed cases of avian influenza among wildlife in the Yukon for 2025 yet. The avian influenza, or bird flu, is caused by the avian influenza virus, of which there are several strains. One strain known as highly pathogenic avian influenza, or HPAI, is known to cause severe illness and high death rates among infected birds. It has also infected mammals like domestic livestock. So far in Canada, HPAI has been detected in domestic birds, such as poultry in British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador, according to Public Health Agency of Canada. However, the agency said that the strain found in U.S. dairy cattle hasn't been detected in birds, cows or other animals in Canada. According to data collection done by Environment and Climate Change Canada, the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, there are 2,858 samples from wildlife which have tested positive. Ontario had 20 per cent of positive cases, followed by British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec and Saskatchewan. The earliest cases in the data set date back to 2021. The Yukon, with 6 total positives recorded, represented 0.21 per cent of positive cases in the country. In an email to the News on May 12, the Yukon department of the environment said the only confirmed cases of avian influenza in wildlife in the Yukon occurred in 2022 and 2023. So far this year, despite increased surveillance during the spring migratory season, there have been no detections of avian influenza in wildlife in the Yukon, according to Yukon department of environment spokesperson Mara De La Rosa. Also, the virus hasn't been detected in any domestic poultry in the territory, she said. Despite there being no detection, the virus is likely circulating in wild bird populations, said De La Rosa. The risk of a bird transmitting the virus to a human is 'very low,' but De La Rosa said hunters are recommended to take precautions when handling birds. Those precautions, as detailed by the Public Health Agency of Canada, include wearing gloves when handling bird harvests, avoiding contact with the bird's mouth and respiratory secretions, washing hands thoroughly after handling, and cooking meat and eggs thoroughly. It is also recommended to disinfect any tools or work surfaces used for butchering after the fact, and to wash any contaminated clothes immediately. The agency also recommends not eating or handling animals that appear to be sick or have died from unknown causes. De La Rosa said the Yukon government is working with the Canadian Wildlife Service to monitor infections among wildlife within the territory. YG is also providing sample kits to the public or any organization that requests them. For example, said De La Rosa, Ta'an Kwäch'än Council was provided with sample kits for harvested birds. As of right now, according to Yukon Chief Medical Officer Sudit Ranade, there are no known human cases in the Yukon. Last year, a teenager in B.C. was hospitalized in what is Canada's first known human case of avian influenza. Contact Talar Stockton at
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
What's making New Brunswickers sick? Premier Susan Holt intends to find out
Premier Susan Holt says it's critical the province push ahead with its investigation into what's making some New Brunswickers sick, despite a new scientific study that found no evidence of a mystery brain disease. "There's too many unanswered questions for us to stop the work that Public Health is doing to be able to provide patients — and potentially future patients — with the information they need about what's causing these illnesses," Holt told reporters Thursday in Fredericton during her weekly update on U.S. tariffs. She was responding to questions about a report, published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, known as JAMA. Thirteen Canadian doctors and researchers reassessed 25 of the 222 patients diagnosed by Moncton neurologist Dr. Alier Marrero as having a "neurological syndrome of unknown cause." They concluded all of the cases — 14 living and 11 who have died — were attributable to well-known conditions, such as Alzheimer's traumatic brain injury and cancer. WATCH | 'There might not be one answer, there might be multiple things at play here,' Holt says: Their analysis of the patients also provides "strong evidence against a common cause of the patients' conditions, such as exposure to an environmental toxin," because of the wide range of problems, they wrote. The work the province is doing "remains critical," Holt said. "We need to work with the patients and the population of New Brunswick to answer the question about what is making New Brunswickers sick," she said. "The study didn't answer that question." In March, the New Brunswick government launched the "data analysis phase" of its investigation into undiagnosed neurological symptoms that Marrero says are now affecting some 500 people in seven provinces. The investigation will consider whether environmental substances, such as the herbicide glyphosate or heavy metals, are a factor. "It is anticipated the results of the analysis will soon be shared with the Public Health Agency of Canada," Dr. Yves Léger, New Brunswick's chief medical officer of health, said in an email. A public report with recommendations is expected this summer. "I think that the work that Public Health is doing and the support we're getting from the Public Health Agency of Canada is critical for us to continue to try to answer those questions for New Brunswickers, knowing that there might not be one answer," Holt said. "There may be multiple things that are at play here in different areas of the province and in different situations." The premier did not say whether the province will help Marrero's hundreds of other patients to get a second opinion, as the study urges. In an emailed statement, New Brunswick Medical Society president Dr. Lise Babin said, "We trust that the process that has recently been put in place by Public Health New Brunswick will consider all relevant research and data related to this ongoing issue." Babin said she could not comment on the "details or merits of specific medical or scientific articles." Holt pledged last summer to launch a transparent scientific investigation if elected in the October provincial election. New Brunswickers suffering from unexplained symptoms and the doctors trying to help them had "been ignored" by the Blaine Higgs government "for far too long," she said in a statement at the time. "New Brunswickers deserve answers."
