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Tag: British Columbia

Topic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia

B.C.’s premier says measles spikes across Canada a result [of] anti-vax ‘recklessness’

Published June 25, 2025

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: The Canadian Press
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By Chuck Chiang

VANCOUVER – British Columbia Premier David Eby says the growing spread of measles across Canada is “the sadly predictable outcome” of the “recklessness” of anti-vaccination politicians.

Eby says the disease is “no joke,” given the potentially serious impact on those infected, and it’s preventable with two vaccine shots.

He told a Vancouver news conference that the focus for provincial public health authorities now is to make sure that people who are not protected receive full vaccination.

Continue readingB.C.’s premier says measles spikes across Canada a result [of] anti-vax ‘recklessness’
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Topic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia

Check this list to see if you were exposed to measles in B.C. this month

Published June 24, 2025

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Published by: Vancouver Sun
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The B.C. Centre for Disease Control has released detailed reports of where people may have been exposed to measles in B.C.

B.C. CDC says there are 12 currently active cases of measles in B.C. and that 17 new cases were reported in Fraser Health, Interior Health and Northern Health regions since June 19. Forty-nine cases have been reported this year.

Continue readingCheck this list to see if you were exposed to measles in B.C. this month
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Topic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia

BC Won’t Require Measles Vaccination for Schools

Published May 29, 2025

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Published by: The Tyee
Published on:
By Michelle Gamage

Canada is in the middle of the largest measles outbreak it has seen in generations, with 2,515 cases so far this year as of May 17, which is the most recent data reported by Health Canada as of Monday.

Despite the spread of the disease B.C. is not considering making measles immunization mandatory for attending school, as it is in Ontario and New Brunswick, the Health Ministry told The Tyee in an emailed statement.

“There is no requirement from the province for students to be vaccinated to attend school, or that students’ immunization records be provided as part of school registration,” the ministry said.

Instead its strategy is mostly a reactive one, where it will use data to respond to outbreaks and exposures. B.C. will also encourage people to get vaccinated and will open school-based immunization clinics in some areas with low vaccination rates.

Continue readingBC Won’t Require Measles Vaccination for Schools
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Chronically ill artists honour International Awareness Month for chronic neuro-immune diseasesAn artistic portrait in blue and purple hues shows a woman in side profile from the chest up. Her figure is partly hidden by thick, cloud-like haze, and her silhouette includes images of tall wild grass and evergreen trees. Overlaid text reads: “Opera Mariposa’s Benefit + Awareness Month for the ME | FM Society of BC. May 1–June 1, 2025. Enter to win $3K prizes for charity. benefit.operamariposa.com. No purchase necessary to enter or win. Odds of winning depend on number of entries received.” The image also includes two butterfly logos: a red one for Opera Mariposa, and a blue, purple, and teal one for the ME | FM Society of BC. Additional details note that the event is online, closed-captioned in English, self-paced, by donation and free to attend, with support up to $3,000 being triple matched.
Topic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia

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

Published April 30, 2025

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: Opera Mariposa
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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.

Continue readingChronically ill artists honour International Awareness Month for chronic neuro-immune diseases
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New travel-related measles case found in the Lower MainlandColourized transmission electron micrograph of a measles virus particle (gold), with a purple background. Photo: CDC and NIAID. Licensed under Creative Commons CC BY 2.0 DEED Attribution 2.0 Generic license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
Topic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia

New travel-related measles case found in the Lower Mainland

Published April 26, 2025

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Published by: CityNews
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By Emma Crawford

A new case of travel-related measles has been confirmed in the Lower Mainland this week.

Fraser Health says a traveller from Ontario who went to Vancouver and Chilliwack on April 20 has a confirmed infection of the virus.

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Topic: OntarioView all posts for the topic: Ontario

Ontario reports 95 new measles cases, sending total above 1,000 since outbreak began

Published April 24, 2025

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Published by: The Canadian Press
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By Nicole Ireland

TORONTO – Public Health Ontario is reporting 95 new measles cases since last week, bringing the total number of people infected past 1,000.

It says a total of 1,020 people have had measles since the province’s outbreak began last October.

The agency says the ongoing rise in cases is “due to continued exposures and transmission among individuals who have not been immunized.”

Continue readingOntario reports 95 new measles cases, sending total above 1,000 since outbreak began
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Topic: pandemic responseView all posts for the topic: pandemic response

Is Public Health Really Dead?

Published April 22, 2025

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Published by: The Tyee
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By Michelle Gamage

Local podcaster Daniella Barreto called her latest project Public Health Is Dead to capture her frustration with how leaders handled the COVID-19 pandemic.

“It seemed like all of these things we’re taught in school, like prevention being key and using evidence to make decisions, was thrown out the window,” Barreto told The Tyee. “Mask mandates were being taken away, people were increasingly getting long COVID, and I decided I needed to do something because people were not getting the information they needed.”

Launching the podcast in November 2024, Barreto used her background in public health, with a master of science in population public health from the University of British Columbia and a bachelor of science in health science from Simon Fraser University, to help explain what went wrong. So far she’s released five episodes and has many more in the works.

Continue readingIs Public Health Really Dead?
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Topic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia

‘Abandoned and betrayed’: Removal of mask requirement in B.C. health care sparks outcry

Published April 1, 2025

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Published by: Daily Hive
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By Amir Ali

We’ve come a long way from the days of general mask mandates for the public, but a recent move to eliminate the requirement in B.C. health care settings is causing some outcry.

According to a recent BC Ministry of Health release, “People are still encouraged to wear medical masks in health care settings as appropriate,” but it is not mandatory.

Some groups, including Protect Our Province BC and DoNoHarm BC, are questioning the decision. This response comes after B.C. announced that it was launching the spring immunization campaign on April 8.

Continue reading‘Abandoned and betrayed’: Removal of mask requirement in B.C. health care sparks outcry
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BC patients, health advocates slam removal of healthcare mask protectionsOrange, yellow and black graphic with an illustration of a person in an N95, fist raised, holding a sign that reads: Keep (and improve) masks in healthcare. Next to the DoNoHarm BC logo and a QR code, smaller text reads, New tools and actions: www.DoNoHarmBC.ca
Topic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia

BC patients, health advocates slam removal of healthcare mask protections

Published March 31, 2025

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: DoNoHarm BC
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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.

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Respiratory season ends, B.C. launching spring COVID-19 vaccination campaignProvincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry at the Legislature in Victoria, British Columbia, March 28, 2025. She has grey hair, and she is not wearing a mask during the ongoing pandemic. Photo: Government of British Columbia. The image is licensed under a Creative Commons CC BY-NC-ND 2.0 | Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 2.0 generic licence.
Topic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia

Respiratory season ends, B.C. launching spring COVID-19 vaccination campaign

Published March 28, 2025

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: The Canadian Press
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By Brenna Owen

Respiratory illness season is over, British Columbia’s top doctor said Friday, but the province is set to launch a spring COVID-19 immunization campaign and wants everyone to ensure they’re fully protected against measles.

Provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry said B.C.’s COVID-19 hospitalizations have hit the lowest level since 2020, with about 40 people in hospital, while cases of influenza and respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV, have also been declining.

Still, Henry said there have been resurgences in spring and summer in the past, and the province is focused on protecting people at the highest risk of serious illness.

Continue readingRespiratory season ends, B.C. launching spring COVID-19 vaccination campaign
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I traded my U.S. medical career for life in Canada. Here’s how the two health systems stack up.A red emergency sign at a hospital. Photo: Pixabey.
Topic: healthcareView all posts for the topic: healthcare

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

Published March 25, 2025

Still COVIDing Canada Posts

Published by: Canada Healthwatch
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By Code Black

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.

Continue readingI traded my U.S. medical career for life in Canada. Here’s how the two health systems stack up.
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Topic: VancouverView all posts for the topic: Vancouver

Long COVID sufferers converge outside the Vancouver Art Gallery to protest for better support

Published March 15, 2025

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Published by: CTV News
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By Mina Kerr-Lazenby

Crowds of people suffering long COVID rallied outside the Vancouver Art Gallery Saturday afternoon to raise awareness of the debilitating effects felt by those still battling the disease.

People had gathered to call on the government to assist with funding for further research into symptoms and treatments, disability support, public awareness, and training for medical staff.

Via placards and speeches, protesters described their own various experiences and asked passers by and others in attendance to send letters to their MLA’s and MP’s, requesting support.

According to Statistics Canada, 3.5 million Canadians continue to suffer symptoms five years after the global outbreak of COVID-19.

Continue readingLong COVID sufferers converge outside the Vancouver Art Gallery to protest for better support
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BC’s Measles Vaccination Rate Is Lower Than in Gaines County, TexasColourized transmission electron micrograph of a measles virus particle (red), with a yellow background. Photo: CDC and NIAID. Licensed under Creative Commons CC BY 2.0 DEED Attribution 2.0 Generic license. https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/
Topic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia

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

Published March 14, 2025

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Published by: The Tyee
Published on:
By Michelle Gamage

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.

Continue readingBC’s Measles Vaccination Rate Is Lower Than in Gaines County, Texas
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Topic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia

Additional measles case detected in B.C.‘s Lower Mainland: officials

Published February 19, 2025

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Published by: CTV News
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By Lisa Steacy

A second case of measles linked to a group that travelled to Southeast Asia has been identified in B.C.’s Lower Mainland, according to health officials.

The infected person lives in the Vancouver Coastal Health region and was on Air Canada Flight 66, which arrived at YVR on Feb. 11, said a statement from the health authority on Wednesday. The person was travelling in the same “party” as a Fraser Health region resident in whom measles was detected over the weekend.

People who were on the flight or who were in the international arrivals area of Vancouver’s airport between 7 and 9:30 a.m. on Feb. 11 may have been exposed, the notification from health officials said.

Continue readingAdditional measles case detected in B.C.‘s Lower Mainland: officials
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Topic: avian fluView all posts for the topic: avian flu

Canada buys 500,000 doses of H5N1 avian influenza vaccine for those most at risk

Published February 19, 2025

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Published by: CBC News
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By Amina Zafar

The Public Health Agency of Canada said Wednesday it’s purchased 500,000 doses of a human vaccine to protect against avian influenza for those most at risk from being exposed to the virus by infected animals.

The agency said it secured the initial supply of GSK’s Arepanrix H5N1 A/America vaccine by leveraging an existing agreement.

“While the current risk to the public remains low, individuals with higher-level exposure to infected animals are at increased risk and should take appropriate precautions,” the agency said in a statement.

Continue readingCanada buys 500,000 doses of H5N1 avian influenza vaccine for those most at risk
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Topic: immunity theftView all posts for the topic: immunity theft

Analysis: Why are B.C. kids sick all the time? Health experts explain

Published January 10, 2025

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Published by: Surrey Now-Leader
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By Dr. Lyne Filiatrault, Arijit Chakravarty, T. Ryan Gregory

Simply put, COVID-19 infections weaken our immune systems. This makes us more prone to reinfection with SARS-CoV-2, infections with other viruses (e.g. RSV), reactivation of dormant viral infections (e.g. shingles, Herpes-Zoster virus), bacterial infections (Group A strep,TB) and even rare fungal infections. To make matters worse, the infections themselves may also be more severe. Being infected with SARS-CoV-2 and other viruses or bacteria at the same time can also make things worse, in adults as well as children.

Continue readingAnalysis: Why are B.C. kids sick all the time? Health experts explain
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Topic: British ColumbiaView all posts for the topic: British Columbia

Flu driving spike in respiratory illness in B.C., but COVID-19 numbers low

Published January 9, 2025

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Published by: The Canadian Press
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VANCOUVER – New data shared by British Columbia’s Centre for Disease Control shows the province has one of the worst flu rates in Canada, as a holiday-season spike in respiratory illnesses continues.

But the data also shows the province has one of the lowest COVID-19 test positivity rates in the country, at about half the national rate.

Dr. Jennifer Vines, interim medical director for public health response at the B.C. CDC, says respiratory illness has been “steadily climbing” over the past several weeks, with RSV and influenza “driving the increase right now.”

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Topic: avian fluView all posts for the topic: avian flu

B.C. teen with avian flu discharged after weeks in hospital

Published January 9, 2025

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Published by: CTV News / The Canadian Press
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By Hannah Alberga

BC Children’s Hospital says a 13-year-old girl with avian flu was discharged Tuesday after weeks in hospital.

The patient was taken to a pediatric intensive care unit with respiratory failure and pneumonia on Nov. 8 and health officials said she tested positive for H5N1 a day later.

A recent medical journal chronicled the teen’s hospitalization in Vancouver, which involved tracheal intubation and supplemental oxygen.

Her family says in a statement that the experience has been “life-changing” and that they are grateful to have their daughter home.

Continue readingB.C. teen with avian flu discharged after weeks in hospital
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