Press "Enter" to skip to content

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Featured

Ottawa: Contact councillors — save our wastewater monitoring!

📣 Let municipal councillors know you want funding for wastewater monitoring to continue

✉️ Send letters to municipal councillors in Ottawa to voice your support for wastewater monitoring. Use our online tool to send emails.

Why take action? The funding for Ottawa’s wastewater monitoring program is currently set to expire in September 2025. Wastewater monitoring is an essential public health tool that provides insights into the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses in Ottawa. We need an early warning system to inform everyone about the prevalence of SARS-CoV-2 subvariants, influenza, avian flu, RSV, mpox, and other viruses.

Comments closed
Featured

Chronically ill artists honour International Awareness Month for chronic neuro-immune diseases

Vancouver’s Opera Mariposa presents month-long programme benefitting the ME | FM Society of BC

April 30, 2025 (Vancouver, BC) – This May, Canadian artists are rallying the community to support people with chronic and post-infectious illnesses. From May 1 to June 1, Vancouver’s Opera Mariposa is presenting their 2025 Benefit + Awareness Month: an all-digital charity extravaganza featuring art, prizes, and special programming benefiting the ME | FM Society of BC.

May is the International Awareness Month for chronic neuro-immune diseases, and Mariposa’s programming is created by and for people impacted by Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME or ME/CFS), Long Covid, and Fibromyalgia. These complex multisystem illnesses affect millions of people across Canada – and that number is rising, given that they can be triggered by viruses, including COVID-19.

Comments closed
Featured

Ontario School Safety Calls on Province for an Immediate Vaccine-PLUS Strategy to Tackle Current Measles Outbreak

Toronto, Ontario – [April 24, 2025] – In an urgent appeal to protect the health and safety of Ontario’s students, education workers, and families, Ontario School Safety (OSS) has issued an open letter asking the Ontario Provincial Government and Public Health Ontario for an immediate vaccine-PLUS strategy, which includes the essential role of healthy indoor air, to curtail the spread of measles. This critical request comes in the wake of concerning measles infection rates – as of April 17th, 2025, Public Health Ontario is reporting 925 measles cases in the province, more than five times the number of cases than the total number of cases over the last 12 years. Encouraging a vaccine-only strategy is insufficient due to barriers to access, and because measles spreads not only through direct contact with secretions or contaminated surfaces, but through the air we breathe.

Comments closed
Featured

Volunteers needed to test no-needle COVID vaccine made in Hamilton

A made-in-Hamilton COVID vaccine that requires no needles is moving to the next stage of testing and researchers are looking for volunteers to take part.

The vaccine that is inhaled instead of injected will be studied by McMaster University researchers with $8 million in funding from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR).

Comments closed
Featured

Federal cuts threaten to close Pennsylvania lab that certifies N95s and other respirators in June

The Pennsylvania laboratory that certifies all of the country’s NIOSH-approved respirators is on the chopping block. HHS is stonewalling employees who raise questions.

Comments closed
Featured

BC patients, health advocates slam removal of healthcare mask protections

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DoNoHarm BC, Protect Our Province BC and the Canadian Covid Society warn the province’s decision endangers patients, healthcare workers, and the healthcare system

March 31, 2025 (British Columbia) – BC patients and health advocates are speaking out against the provincial government’s decision to drop healthcare mask requirements, at a time when there are multiple illness outbreaks in medical settings. Public health groups DoNoHarm BC, Protect Our Province BC, and the Canadian Covid Society warn that the move endangers vulnerable patients and frontline workers, while harming the sustainability and cost-effectiveness of BC’s healthcare system.

Comments closed
Featured

I traded my U.S. medical career for life in Canada. Here’s how the two health systems stack up.

After more than a decade practicing emergency medicine in the United States, I very recently began working shifts in Canada. The differences hit me immediately, and are profound.

What follows are a series of working hypotheses — early impressions shaped by firsthand experience and years of health policy work in the U.S. I expect they will evolve with time, but they already point to important contrasts in how both countries approach medicine, physician autonomy, and the doctor-patient relationship.

Comments closed
Featured

Smartwatch Data: Study Finds Early Health Differences in Long COVID Patients

People who later experienced persistent shortness of breath or fatigue after a COVID infection were already taking significantly fewer steps per day and had a higher resting heart rate before contracting the virus, according to a CSH study published in npj Digital Medicine. This may indicate lower fitness levels or pre-existing conditions as potential risk factors

Between April 2020 and December 2022, over 535,000 people in Germany downloaded and activated the Corona Data Donation App (CDA). Of these, more than 120,000 voluntarily shared daily data from their smartwatches and fitness trackers with researchers, providing insights into vital functions such as resting heart rate and step count.

“These high-resolution data served as the starting point for our study,” explains CSH researcher Katharina Ledebur. “We were able to compare vital signs in 15-minute intervals before, during, and after a SARS-CoV-2 infection.”

Comments closed
Featured

BC’s Measles Vaccination Rate Is Lower Than in Gaines County, Texas

In Gaines County, Texas, where a measles outbreak has killed one six-year-old and one adult, the measles vaccination rate among kindergarteners is just 82 per cent, according to reporting by The Atlantic.

That’s a higher measles vaccination rate than children have here in B.C.

Just under 82 per cent of two-year-olds have gotten one dose of the measles, mumps and rubella, or MMR, vaccine, and around 72 per cent of seven-year-olds have gotten both doses, according to the B.C. Childhood Immunization Coverage Dashboard’s 2023 data, which is the most recent data year available.

Comments closed
Featured

International Long COVID Awareness Day 2025

International Long COVID Awareness Day – COVID-cautious walk

Date: Saturday, March 15, 2025

Time: 7 pm – 8 pm

Where: Ottawa City Hall (meet at the entrance, Laurier Avenue side)

Join us for a walk on International Long COVID Awareness Day, Saturday, March 15, 2025 at 7 pm. The route is wheelchair-accessible.

Comments closed
Featured

Advocates Urge BC to Reinstate Healthcare Mask Protections Amid Rising Risks

DoNoHarm BC, Protect Our Province BC and the Canadian Covid Society warn of infection risks in healthcare

December 10, 2024 (British Columbia, Canada) – Advocacy groups in BC are calling on policy-makers to immediately reinstate healthcare mask requirements. The call comes as BC faces severe risks from COVID-19, a rise in “walking pneumonia,” local measles warnings, and Canada’s first human case of H5N1 avian influenza – which health officials warn could potentially turn into another pandemic.

Comments closed
Featured

Everything Wrong with Canada’s Proposed Long COVID Recommendations

Researchers involved in the organizations Cochrane Canada and the McMaster GRADE Centre at McMaster University are developing guidelines to prevent and treat Long COVID in Canada. Their effort is supported by the Public Health Agency of Canada and their recommendations would likely have major sway in the way Long COVID is treated if adopted.

Every month, they release new recommendations and provide an opportunity for public comment. On November 20th, the group released a new set of Canadian Post-COVID Condition (CAN-PCC) recommendations which propose harmful and ineffective treatments: Exercise to prevent Long COVID and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to treat post-exertional malaise (PEM).

Comments closed
Featured

Novavax now! We need access to the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine!

📣 Let PHAC and health ministers know you want timely access to the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine this fall

✉️ Send letters to PHAC and health ministers to voice your support for access to the Novavax COVID-19 vaccine this fall. Use our online tool to send emails.

Comments closed
Featured

Local groups join forces for Vancouver’s second annual Clean Air Festival

Event spotlights clean air, community care, and award-winning talent

August 22, 2024 (Vancouver, BC) – On September 15, 2024, a coalition of community groups will present Vancouver’s second annual Clean Air Festival. From 1-6:30 pm, Clean Air 604, Clean Air in BC Schools, DoNoHarm BC, Masks 4 East Van, Millions Missing BC, Protect Our Province BC, SolidAIRity GVRD, Safe Schools Coalition BC, Spring Vancouver, and Vancouver Still Cares will join forces to present a COVID-safer, immuno-inclusive hybrid event, taking place in-person at Slocan Park and digitally via livestream and recording.

The event features a DIY air purifier-building workshop, tabling, children’s games and activities from 1:00 pm, with a stage magic performance at 3:45 pm and an outdoor concert from 4:30 pm. Masks, rapid tests, zines and DIY fit test kits will be available while supplies last. Air purifiers from the workshop will be donated to schools via Clean Air in BC Schools, and to vulnerable community members via Masks 4 East Van.

Comments closed
Featured

The Risks of Killing a COVID Early Warning System

COVID-19 is surging in parts of North America and Europe, and even played a role in ending the presidential campaign of 81-year-old Joe Biden, who was infected for the third time last month.

Nevertheless, on Wednesday the Ontario government shut down its early warning system to detect COVID and other emerging diseases.

Doctors, citizens and researchers are calling the decision to kill the province’s wastewater disease surveillance program both wrong-headed and dangerous. Ending the program will make it harder to track and thwart viral outbreaks, they say, and thereby increase the burden on Ontario’s understaffed hospitals, which experienced more than 1,000 emergency room closures last year.

“Pandemics do not end because science has been muzzled,” Dr. Iris Gorfinkel, a well-known Toronto physician and clinical researcher, told the CBC.

In emails to politicians, more than 5,000 citizens have demanded restoration of the program, with little effect.

Comments closed
Featured

Ontario: Protect our health — save Ontario’s wastewater monitoring!

📣 Let MPPs know you want funding for Ontario’s wastewater monitoring program to continue

✉️ Send letters to MPPs to voice your support for wastewater monitoring. Use our online tool to send emails.

Why take action? Wastewater monitoring is an essential public health tool that provides insights into the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses in Ontario’s communities.

Comments closed
Featured

Ontario: Call Members of Provincial Parliament on #WastewaterWednesday!

📣 Take action! Let MPPs know you want funding for Ontario’s wastewater monitoring program to continue

📱 Call MPPs to voice your support for wastewater monitoring.

✉️ Use our online tool to send letters to MPPs.

✉️ Use our online tool to send emails to municipal councillors in Ottawa or Waterloo Region.

📸 Post photos on social media.

Why take action? Wastewater monitoring is an essential public health tool that provides insights into the spread of SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses in Ontario’s communities.

Comments closed
Featured

COVID virus can infect your eyes and damage vision

The virus that causes COVID-19 can breach the protective blood-retinal barrier, leading to potential long-term consequences in the eye, new research shows.

The blood-retinal barrier is designed to protect our vision from infections by preventing microbial pathogens from reaching the retina where they could trigger an inflammatory response with potential vision loss.

Comments closed
Featured

BC health advocates call on government to reinstate healthcare mask requirements

Protect Our Province BC, DoNoHarm BC, and Masks4EastVan highlight harms and human rights violations from loss of healthcare safety

Wednesday, April 17, 2024 (British Columbia) – Independent public health groups Protect Our Province BC, DoNoHarm BC, and Masks4EastVan are calling on the BC government to restore healthcare mask requirements. They are urging British Columbians to call for airborne pathogen protections in clinical settings by joining DoNoHarm BC’s campaign.

Comments closed
Featured

Study: Infection-control measures stemmed COVID spread in hospitals from 2020 to 2022

Implementation of ventilation standards of at least five clean-air changes per hour, COVID-19 testing, the use of personal protective equipment (PPE), and universal wearing of respirators prevented most SARS-CoV-2 transmissions in a California healthcare system from 2020 to 2022, suggests a study published yesterday in Clinical Infectious Diseases.

For the study, University of California (UC) researchers used electronic health records and movement data of patients and staff to conduct viral genomic and social network analyses to estimate COVID-19 spread in the UC–San Diego Health system. The team analyzed 12,933 viral genomes from 35,666 infected patients and healthcare workers (HCWs) (out of 1,303,622 tests [2.7%]) from November 2020 to January 2022.

Comments closed
Featured

“They’re Taking Away Your Right To Be Healthy.”

The tide is turning. Thanks to all the people making noise on social media and bugging their families, while continuing to wear masks and build air purifiers no matter what anyone says, there’s a trace of hope.

—Jessica Wildfire
Comments closed
Featured

First-person stories from British Columbians

CW: cancer, surgery, medical negligence, denial of care, disability grief

As part of DoNoHarm BC’s #Postcards4PublicHealth campaign, we’ve invited British Columbians to share their stories about the lack of Covid safety in BC – particularly the loss of mask protections in healthcare. Many wrote directly to policy makers. Some generously gave us permission to share their stories with the public and the press.

Comments closed
Featured

Ten COVID Facts Health Officials Dangerously Downplay

Do not listen to powers that be who pretend that getting infected with COVID multiple times is now no big deal. They’re asking you to lower your guard for a nasty virus that can invade the brain, disregulate the immune system and damage the vascular system.

This strategy has led to predictable results — more direct deaths, more excess deaths, more disease and some 1.4 million Canadians reporting some form of long COVID over the last two years.

Comments closed

Human Rights Tribunal Affirms Immunocompromised Worker’s Right to Seek Workplace Accommodations

A human rights tribunal has found that an employer’s failure to provide accommodation for an immunocompromised worker amounted to discrimination on the basis of disability.

The April decision by the BC Human Rights Tribunal affirmed that immunodeficiency is a physical disability, and that in raising concerns about his immunodeficiency multiple times, the worker who brought the case forward had given his employer enough information to trigger the employer’s responsibility to look into ways to accommodate that disability.

Gabrielle Peters, a disabled writer and policy analyst based in Vancouver, praised the decision as broadening the discussion of what it means to create an accessible workplace.

Comments closed

Wildfire smoke leads to air quality warnings for much of Manitoba this weekend

Smoke billowing from wildfires is leading to poor air quality and reducing visibility throughout most of Manitoba this weekend.

Environment and Climate Change Canada issued warnings Saturday morning for a large swath of the province, including Winnipeg and Brandon in the south, the Interlake and Thompson in the north.

“We have asthma so we try to just like think about how our chest is feeling … and go from there,” Aleecia Doyle said of she and her son, Liam Doyle. The pair ventured to Old Market Square to catch some of the entertainment for Winnipeg Fringe Theatre Festival opening weekend.

Comments closed

New COVID-19 vaccine candidate shows strong protection against multiple variants

A promising new COVID-19 vaccine candidate developed by researchers at the Centenary Institute and the University of Sydney has shown strong potential to protect against both current and emerging coronavirus variants. By targeting features shared by a range of coronaviruses, the vaccine is designed to offer broader and longer-lasting protection as the virus continues to evolve.

The development comes as Australia faces continued COVID-19 circulation during winter, with new Omicron subvariants such as XBB.1.5 contributing to infections and hospitalisations. To date, there have been over 115,000 COVID-19 cases reported to the Australian Government’s National Notifiable Diseases Surveillance System for 2025.

Published in the scientific journal npj Vaccines, the new study shows that the vaccine candidate, named CoVEXS5, protected mice from multiple coronaviruses, including the highly immune-evasive Omicron XBB.1.5 variant and SARS-CoV-1, a relative of SARS-CoV-2 that was responsible for the 2002–2004 SARS outbreak.

In laboratory tests, CoVEXS5 reduced virus levels in the lungs of infected mice by approximately 99.9% compared to unvaccinated controls, demonstrating a dramatic protective effect.

Comments closed

COVID hospitalization linked to cognitive impairment 2 years later

Almost 20% of people who were hospitalized for COVID-19 infections early in the pandemic still had signs of impairment with brain function 2 years after infection, finds a new study in Scientific Reports.

The study population came from Portugal, in a region hit hard by the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on hospital admission episodes and SARS-CoV-2 infection status from March 2020 to February 2021, the authors identified four groups: group 1 (101) hospitalized for COVID-19 infections, group 2 (87) hospitalized but uninfected with COVID-19, group 3 (252) infected but not requiring hospitalization, and group 4 (258) uninfected and not hospitalized for any reason.

Cognitive assessments were conducted in two parts 2 years after infection, a general screening using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment and a subsequent neuropsychological assessment conducted by one of four psychologists if the score of the general screening was low. Overall, verbal memory, visual memory, executive functions, language, and information processing speed and attention were evaluated.

Comments closed

B.C. health minister praises U.S. recruitment, says 780 applications in 2 months

VANCOUVER — British Columbia’s health minister says the province has received almost 780 job applications from qualified American health professionals as part of its recruitment campaign.

Josie Osborne says more than 2,250 doctors, nurses and other health professionals have signed up for webinars and expressed interest in working in B.C. since March.

Bylaw changes implemented by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of B.C. this month mean U.S.-trained doctors can become fully licensed in B.C., without further assessment if they hold certifications from various American medical boards.

Osborne says that means Canadian doctors trained in the U.S. can “come home” and the path also becomes easier for American physicians.

Comments closed

Alberta wastewater unlocked key information about COVID-19. Could it help with measles too?

As Alberta’s measles outbreaks grow, researchers are now watching the province’s wastewater for the highly contagious virus and hoping to determine if the technology could eventually serve as an early detection tool.

The magnitude of Alberta’s outbreaks and the speed at which cases are climbing has sparked widespread concern. As of midday Tuesday, 1,323 cases had been confirmed since the outbreaks began in March.

Piggybacking off weekly wastewater samples, collected through the provincial COVID-19 surveillance program, the team has designed a test that can identify both the wild type measles virus (indicating actual infection) and vaccine-related shedding in the wastewater.

Comments closed

Study finds no link between aluminum in vaccines and autism, asthma

Aluminum in childhood vaccines is a target of vaccine skeptics, who blame the ingredient on myriad health concerns. But a study of more than 1 million people, published Monday in the Annals of Internal Medicine, found no link between aluminum in vaccines and an increased risk of 50 chronic conditions, including autoimmune diseases, allergies and autism.

Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who has spread vaccine misinformation for years, said on a podcast in 2024 that aluminum in vaccines is “extremely neurotoxic.” (An HHS spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment.)

Senior study author Anders Hviid said that, as a parent, he understood the concerns about vaccine safety.

“Our study addresses many of these concerns and provides clear and robust evidence for the safety of childhood vaccines. This is evidence that parents need to make the best choices for the health of their children,” said Hviid, who is a professor and the head of epidemiology research at Statens Serum Institut, a sector of the Danish Ministry of Health focused on combating and preventing infectious diseases.

Comments closed

Saskatoon under air quality warning as wildfire smoke blows in from the north

Saskatoon residents are feeling the lingering effects of the province’s northern wildfires on Monday, as a northerly wind has blown heavy smoke into central Saskatchewan.

Environment and Climate Change Canada issued an air quality warning after 4 a.m. Monday, advising anyone likely to be affected by smoke, including infants and young children, seniors, people with chronic conditions and those who work outdoors to limit time outside and seek medical attention if they experience symptoms.

The air quality index for the day is listed as 10-plus — considered a very high risk to health.

“During heavy smoke conditions, everyone’s health is at risk regardless of their age or health status,” Environment Canada said.

Comments closed

Alberta’s measles outbreaks surpass case counts reported for entire U.S.

Alberta has now confirmed more measles cases than the entire United States has reported this year.

The province has been battling outbreaks since March and as of noon Monday, total case counts in the province had ballooned to 1,314.

The latest update from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that country has amassed 1,288 cases this year.

Comments closed

Toronto has some of the worst air quality in the world right now — and a new study says smog and wildfire smoke can damage your heart

With the city once again blanketed in wildfire smoke, experts are warning that long-term exposure to air pollution can lead to higher risk of heart failure.

Environment Canada issued a special air quality statement on Sunday night due to wildfire smoke from northern Ontario pushing Toronto’s Air Quality Health Index to 10+, classified as “very high risk.” Poor air quality was expected to persist Monday and possibly into Tuesday.

The effects of air pollution on the heart are underscored in a recent study, which found that long-term exposure to air pollution, in particular fine particulate matter, was linked to higher levels of diffuse myocardial fibrosis, a type of heart scarring that can lead to higher risk of heart failure.

Comments closed

Air quality alert issued for Toronto, GTA as forest fire smoke pushes levels to ‘high risk’

Toronto and much of the GTA are under a special air quality statement as smoke from forest fires in northern Ontario pushes into the region, Environment Canada warned Sunday night.

The agency says winds are carrying smoke into the area, reducing visibility and pushing the Air Quality Health Index to 10+, classified as “very high risk,” early Monday morning. Poor air quality is expected to persist into Monday and possibly Tuesday, Environment Canada added.

Torontonians are urged to reduce or reschedule strenuous outdoor activities, particularly if you experience coughing, runny nose, throat or eye irritation or any other symptoms.

People aged 65 and older, pregnant people, infants and young children, people with an existing illness or chronic health condition and people who work outdoors are most at risk, Environment Canada says, adding that more serious symptoms such as chest pain or severe coughing should be treated as medical emergencies.

Comments closed

US aid cuts halt HIV vaccine research in South Africa, with global impact

JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Just a week had remained before scientists in South Africa were to begin clinical trials of an HIV vaccine, and hopes were high for another step toward limiting one of history’s deadliest pandemics. Then the email arrived.

Stop all work, it said. The United States under the Trump administration was withdrawing all its funding.

The news devastated the researchers, who live and work in a region where more people live with HIV than anywhere else in the world. Their research project, called BRILLIANT, was meant to be the latest to draw on the region’s genetic diversity and deep expertise in the hope of benefiting people everywhere.

But the $46 million from the U.S. for the project was disappearing, part of the dismantling of foreign aid by the world’s biggest donor earlier this year as President Donald Trump announced a focus on priorities at home.

Comments closed

‘Tremendous uncertainty’ for cancer research as US officials target mRNA vaccines

As US regulators restrict Covid mRNA vaccines and as independent vaccine advisers re-examine the shots, scientists fear that an unlikely target could be next: cancer research.

Messenger RNA, or mRNA, vaccines have shown promise in treating and preventing cancers that have often been difficult to address, such as pancreatic cancer, brain tumors and others.

But groundbreaking research could stall as federal and state officials target mRNA shots, including ending federal funding for bird flu mRNA vaccines, restricting who may receive existing mRNA vaccines and, in some places, proposing laws against the vaccines.

The Trump administration has also implemented unprecedented cuts to cancer research, among other research cuts and widespread layoffs at the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

Comments closed

FDA approves Moderna COVID vaccine for kids under 12 at higher risk

Vaccine maker Moderna announced today that the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted full approval of its Spikevax (mRNA-1273) COVID vaccine for children 6 months to 11 years old. But, because federal officials in May restricted its recommendations for COVID-19 vaccines to adults 65 and older and to people of all ages who are at increased risk for severe disease, Spikevax will be available only to kids in that age range who are at higher risk.

“COVID-19 continues to pose a significant potential threat to children, especially those with underlying medical conditions. Vaccination can be an important tool for protecting our youngest against severe disease and hospitalization,” said Moderna CEO Stéphane Bancel, MBA, MEng. “We appreciate the FDA’s diligent scientific review and approval of Spikevax for pediatric populations at increased risk for COVID-19 disease.”

Comments closed

BC’s Largest Pocket of Measles Cases Likely Peaking, Officials Say

The largest outbreak of measles in B.C. might be cresting, but there are still pockets of people without immunity spread across the province, which could lead to future outbreaks, say public health officials.

Most of the province’s confirmed 102 cases are in the northeast, where the disease has been spreading for the last couple weeks, said Dr. Martin Lavoie, deputy provincial health officer, at a press conference earlier today.

“This is not a pandemic, but measles is very serious,” Lavoie said.

He added that while there’s 102 confirmed cases there’s likely more as some people are resting and recovering at home, and have not been directly counted by health officials.

Dr. Jong Kim, chief medical officer for Northern Health, said B.C. has “likely seen the height of the wave” of the outbreak in the northeast, but that further cases are still possible, especially if the virus finds another pocket of the population where people have not received the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.

Comments closed

Vaccination rates among children in Maritimes are too low to stop spread of measles

FREDERICTON – At least three out of the four Atlantic provinces have released data revealing their measles vaccination rates in children are below the 95 per cent threshold recommended by scientists to prevent the disease from spreading.

In Nova Scotia, the provincial government told The Canadian Press that about 23 per cent of children were not fully vaccinated for measles in 2024. Brooke Armstrong, Health Department spokeswoman, said 93.4 per cent of two-year-olds had at least one dose of vaccine and 78.6 per cent of two-year-olds had both required shots.

Prince Edward Island and New Brunswick say about 10 per cent of children are not fully vaccinated for the disease. Autumn Tremere from Prince Edward Island’s Health Department said between 91 per cent and 94 per cent of children in Grade 1 had received two doses.

New Brunswick Health Department spokeswoman Tara Chislett said the 2023-24 school immunization report showed 91.2 per cent of students with proof of immunization were up to date for the measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.

Comments closed

Chagas disease–carrying kissing bugs establish new base in Florida homes

Kissing bugs that carry the parasite for Chagas disease, a potentially serious tropical condition, have established a base in Florida, researchers say.

Chagas disease, which is rare in the United States, can cause a brief illness or remain latent for years before causing symptoms. If untreated, it can become a chronic condition that damages the heart, brain, and other organs.

Scientists from the University of Florida (UF) and Texas A&M University collected more than 300 kissing bugs, or triatomines, from 23 Florida counties—one third of them from people’s homes—from 2013 to 2023. The team analyzed the bugs’ stomach contents to determine the source of their last meal and whether it contained the Trypanosoma cruzi parasite implicated in Chagas disease.

Their findings were published this week in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

Comments closed

Inside the Collapse of the F.D.A.

The reckoning that Robert Califf spent years warning about began, as so many things seem to these days, on social media. It was October 2024. His tenure as commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration was winding down, and he was starting to imagine a happy retirement surrounded by grandchildren when he noticed Robert F. Kennedy Jr. taking aim at his agency, and the 19,000 or so people who worked there, on X.

“FDA’s war on public health is about to end,” Kennedy wrote. “This includes its aggressive suppression of psychedelics, peptides, stem cells, raw milk, hyperbaric therapies, chelating compounds, ivermectin, hydroxychloroquine, vitamins, clean foods, sunshine, exercise, nutraceuticals and anything else that advances human health and can’t be patented by Pharma. If you work for the FDA and are part of this corrupt system, I have two messages for you. 1. Preserve your records, and 2. Pack your bags.”

It was a confused, almost comically pompous declaration, Califf recalls thinking, and it ought to have been the least of his concerns. Kennedy had not yet been tapped to serve as anything, let alone the highest health official in the land. Still, it struck a nerve. More and more, people seemed to clamor for things that were unproven, to question things that were and to express not only mistrust but outright hostility toward the doctors, scientists and civil servants trying to separate one from the other. That hostility was being nourished by exactly the kind of mis- and disinformation Kennedy was espousing. It was easy to paint the F.D.A. as a supervillain (an aggressive suppressor of sunlight, vitamins and exercise, to borrow Kennedy’s language), in part because the truth was so much more complex.

Comments closed