Category: Health Fitness

As southern Alberta battles its worst measles outbreak in decades, some doctors are warning the virus is more rampant than the case counts show and they’re now struggling to keep up with demand. As of midday Wednesday,  628 cases had been confirmed in Alberta since the outbreaks began in March. The last time the province reported more cases […]

Canada’s minister of agriculture says a group of B.C. ostriches will “not necessarily” be killed, despite an order from the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) that they be culled due to concerns about the avian flu. On Wednesday, reporters in Ottawa asked Heath MacDonald, the minister of agriculture and agri-food, about the fate of the ostriches, […]

Dorothy Lamont, 96, lives independently in her downtown Dartmouth home, still growing her own vegetables in her backyard every summer. But her biggest worry is not having a family doctor.

High-profile officials in the U.S. federal government, along with a prominent billionaire, are now weighing in on the fate of a flock of ostriches ordered killed on a farm in a remote part of the B.C. Interior. Former TV host Dr. Mehmet Oz, who is now the administrator for the U.S. Centers for Medicare and […]

Nova Scotia’s internal travel nurse program is off to a slow start, but officials say that’s by design. The program, promised by the Progressive Conservatives in the last provincial election and long called for by the Nova Scotia Nurses’ Union, launched earlier this spring. Although the goal is to have 30 registered nurses participate in […]

A month after the start of the high-profile sexual assault trial of five former junior hockey players in London, Ont., advocates against gender-based violence are using the proceedings to teach young men about consent and their responsibilities as role models for others.  “I think for young men and for hockey players, they’re watching what these five […]

When Lily MacDonald first signed in to an online workout session for women with COPD, she was sure she wasn’t going to like it. She couldn’t imagine doing an effective workout at her kitchen table. “At first I thought, ‘How can I exercise, what am I going to do?’” said MacDonald, who lives in Glace […]

Kristyne Agabob and Lisa Brooks from the Looking Glass Foundation say that the rate of eating disorders has increased since the COVID-19 pandemic, and that Canadians under 35 have the highest risk of developing an eating disorder.

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. says he has talked to Canadian health officials about sparing a flock of ostriches in British Columbia that have been ordered killed due to avian flu fears. In a statement posted to X, Kennedy says that he spoke with Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) president Paul MacKinnon on Thursday to discuss […]

The Current23:49Adulting 101: How Gen Z fell behind on basic life skills Aldhen Garcia, a first-year student at Toronto Metropolitan University, says he has a lot of life skills to learn. “I don’t know how to change a tire — I don’t have a car at all. I don’t know how to sew, I don’t […]

This story is part of CBC Health’s Second Opinion, a weekly analysis of health and medical science news emailed to subscribers on Saturday mornings. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here. As Canada’s measles outbreak continues to grow, the country is at risk of losing its measles elimination status — a […]

“Do you want to go faster?”  Jayne Imeson already knew the answer she was going to get from her six-year-old son, Casey, sitting astride his new steed in a park in Central Saanich, B.C. He nodded with a smile. “Always faster — this kid loves his speed,” Imeson said. Casey’s usual ride is a Fjord horse named […]

Health P.E.I. has hired six senior managers on an interim basis through private employment agencies at costs ranging from $17,490 a month to $43,750 a month.  That information is contained in a series of contracts the province provided to CBC News. These managers are filling some of the most senior roles at the health agency, […]

Public Health Ontario says 173 more people have been infected with measles in the province over the past week. That brings the number of measles cases to 1,795 since Ontario’s outbreak began last October. The health agency’s weekly measles report, released Thursday, says the virus continues to spread primarily among people who have not been […]

2 hours ago News Duration 5:05 After a landmark ruling by the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal in 2021, the provincial government must close large institutions that house hundreds of people with disabilities. The trouble is that for some, it’s home. Portia Clark has the story.

Emergency room doctors in Lethbridge are warning that ongoing staffing shortages could make growing wait times even longer. An open letter signed by 16 physicians says the Chinook Regional Hospital has struggled to recruit emergency department physicians and wait times are ballooning as a result. This isn’t the first time the public has been alerted […]

The late-stage cancer diagnosis of former U.S. president Joe Biden has some medical professionals wondering how the disease was able to go undetected when his health had been under intense scrutiny near the end of his presidency. In a statement on Sunday, Biden’s office said the 82-year-old has been diagnosed with prostate cancer and that […]

Members of the World Health Organization adopted an agreement on Tuesday intended to improve preparedness for future pandemics following the disjointed global response to COVID-19, but the absence of the U.S. cast doubt on the treaty’s effectiveness. After three years of negotiations, the legally binding pact was adopted by the World Health Assembly in Geneva. […]

Canadians who need a hip or knee replacement could get the surgery more quickly — without adding to health-care budgets or opening more operating rooms — if central waitlists were created, the author of a new study says.  The findings, published in Tuesday’s issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal, suggest it’s significantly faster to […]

On The Island7:32Texas nurse wants to move to Nanaimo BC is streamlining the process for US nurses to come work in BC. We hear from Rachael Smith-Taylor, who works as a registered nurse in Belton, Texas, but wants to move to Nanaimo.   A Texas-based nurse is hoping to relocate permanently to Canada after taking part […]

The province’s target for these appointments is three weeks or less, but according to Quebec’s public health institute, wait times vary. That’s creating concern, given that with cancer, time is of the essence.

Misinformation is making it hard for Canada to reach the vaccination levels needed to prevent the spread of measles, experts say as the country deals with the largest outbreak of the disease in almost three decades. Nationally, the country is dealing with the largest outbreak since the highly infectious disease was eradicated in 1998. Canada has recorded 1,593 confirmed and 253 probable cases this […]

Other People’s Problems40:41Welcome to Other People’s Problems – On Drugs Some Canadians who suffer from mental illness are turning to psychedelic therapy that utilizes cannabis instead of better-known psychedelics such as psilocybin. In psychedelic therapy — an emerging field, no matter the substance — patients use drugs that alter their consciousness, under supervision of a […]

This First Person article is the experience of Maggie Campbell, a wife and mom in P.E.I. For more information about CBC’s First Person stories, please see the FAQ. I could hear her heart beat thanks to an at-home fetal doppler. Our three sons gathered around us on the couch and watched as Dad put the jelly […]

The Dose23:43Why are my allergies getting worse? Most people with seasonal allergies have likely noticed an uncomfortable trend over the past few years. In parts of Canada, allergy season not only seems to be lasting longer, it seems to be more intense.  Experts like Dr. Anne Ellis, chair of the department of allergy and immunology […]

There have been 37 reported measles cases in Saskatchewan from mid-March to mid-May this year, Saskatchewan’s chief medical officer said at a news conference Friday, compared to only two cases from 2015 to 2024. Dr. Saqib Shahab said cases have been confirmed in people from five months to 57 years old.   “Many families are still not […]

A Hamilton judge is expected to sentence Kaitlyn Braun today for faking pregnancies and fraudulently receiving doula care on two occasions while on house arrest for similar crimes.  Braun, 26, pleaded guilty in January to two counts of obtaining by false pretence services under $5,000 and two harassment-related charges. “This is a long-standing pattern for Ms. Braun,” assistant Crown attorney […]

The jury in a British Columbia coroner’s inquest into the overdose death of a University of Victoria student has recommended a raft of measures for government, schools and B.C.’s emergency dispatch system. Key among the five-person jury’s recommendations released late Thursday morning were boosting education around safe drug use, making sure campus buildings were clearly addressed and […]

Canada ranks 19th out of 36 countries in well-being of children and youth, behind other wealthy countries such as the Netherlands, Denmark and France, according to a new report from UNICEF. The 19th edition of the report card, released Wednesday, was based on measures of mental well-being, physical health and skills development from 2018 to […]

The World Health Organization has reduced its management team by half and will have to scale back operations, its director-general said on Wednesday, four months after the United States announced it was leaving the agency and cutting funding. “To be blunt, we cannot do everything,” Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a budget committee meeting ahead […]

The Dose26:51What do women need to know about hair loss? London, Ont.-resident Marcy Gallant began losing her hair when she was around five years old.  The alopecia advocate says she woke up one morning and noticed hair on her pillow. Her mother investigated and found a bald spot, and Gallant was soon diagnosed with alopecia […]

A Federal Court judge has tossed out a challenge that would have stopped the killing of about 400 ostriches on a British Columbia farm that suffered an outbreak of avian flu.  The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) ordered the cull late last year after the avian flu outbreak, but the court granted a stay in January […]

Infectious disease experts are raising the alarm about measles spread in Alberta, warning case counts are far higher than neighbouring provinces and they’re increasing rapidly. Alberta reported 116 more measles cases last week, pushing Alberta’s total of confirmed cases to 326 as of Friday.  “[It’s] really the largest growth in the number of cases of measles — […]

First Nations leaders are urging Prime Minister Mark Carney to tackle a number key priorities in the first 100 days of Canada’s new Parliament. “All these priorities are in line with Prime Minister Carney’s stated priorities, namely: economic development, housing, infrastructure and continued progress on reconciliation,” Sen. Paul Prosper, who represents Nova Scotia, said in Ottawa […]

Ontario hospitals paid for-profit staffing agencies $9.2 billion over a decade, a finding that comes as one hospital aims to stop its use of temp services by September. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives commissioned Monday’s report, titled Hollowed Out: Ontario Public Hospitals and the Rise of Private Staffing Agencies. It focused on increased spending […]

When Marie Grgic’s mother was diagnosed with uterine cancer, she said her father had to use his retirement funds to finance costs related to her treatment.  Cancer costs the average patient nearly $33,000, which includes out-of-pocket expenses and lost income, according to the Canadian Cancer Society.  “The cost of cancer is parking, it’s the care, […]

This First Person column is the experience of Luke Galati, who lives in Toronto. For more information about CBC’s First Person stories, please see the FAQ.  The psychiatric ward is a place no one wants to be.  But it’s a place you might need to be at some point if you live with a mental […]

A second family from Gaza has arrived in Manitoba to get “life-changing” medical care for their kindergarten-aged son they couldn’t access at home, as part of what Premier Wab Kinew called a “humanitarian corridor” to the province opened in response to the effects of the ongoing Israel-Hamas war. Kinew said the young boy, along with his […]

This story is part of CBC Health’s Second Opinion, a weekly analysis of health and medical science news emailed to subscribers on Saturday mornings. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here. Despite a rule that requires sex and gender to be considered when funding medical research in Canada, new research shows […]

U.S. and European health regulators are warning the public of possible health risks linked to finasteride, a popular hair-loss drug.  The European Medicines Agency issued an alert on Thursday, stating it had confirmed suicidal thoughts as a side effect of finasteride tablets. The European regulator announced it would be implementing new measures to warn and protect the […]

Rebecca Archer lovingly places a pair of small glasses on a shelf filled with memorabilia like trinkets and photos. They belonged to her 10-year-old daughter, Renae, who suddenly died after a measles infection. “She was just really intelligent. Just a really happy child, always smiling,” she remembers. Renae was just five months old when she got the […]

An expert in emergency medicine testified at the Sidney McIntyre-Starko coroner’s inquest that software used by British Columbia 911 operators takes too long to recommend potentially life-saving cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR).  Dr. Michael Kurz said the medical priority dispatch system (MPDS) that guides 911 call-takers in their over-the-phone response does not meet the “agreed-upon standard of care.” “I am […]

A new scientific study has found no evidence of a mystery brain disease in New Brunswick, says a report published Wednesday in the Journal of the American Medical Association, known as JAMA. Instead, an independent reassessment of 25 of 222 patients diagnosed by Moncton neurologist Alier Marrero as having a “neurological syndrome of unknown cause” concluded that all of the cases were […]

Health Minister Sylvia Jones and Premier Doug Ford defended on Wednesday the province’s approach to the measles outbreak as new infections increase sharply and criticism mounts. Dr. Kieran Moore, Ontario’s chief medical officer of health, told Radio-Canada in an interview earlier this week that the latest data shows there have been 1,384 people who have fallen […]

The CAQ government has come up with $85 million to make upgrades to the Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital. The first phase of renovations would modernize the hospital’s parking lot, but opposition parties are questioning the government’s plan.

A nursing assistant who was the first home-care worker to see Normand Meunier after a disastrous hospital stay in Saint-Jérôme, Que., in January 2024 described the bedsore he returned home with as “horrible.” Brigitte Guilbon, a licensed practical nurse who was part of Meunier’s care team from 2022 until his death in March 2024, testified Tuesday at […]

JAMP Pharma Corp. says it is recalling one lot of its pregabalin pain medication because some bottles labelled to contain 50-milligram capsules may contain 150-milligram capsules instead. The mislabelled product could lead to patients receiving a much larger dose than prescribed, which could result in an overdose and “pose serious, potentially fatal health risks,” Health Canada said in […]

The Alberta government says it is taking new steps to rein in the province’s measles outbreaks as case counts surge to the highest levels since 1987. The province reported an additional 55 cases on Monday, pushing the total since the outbreaks began in March to 265. The last time the province saw more measles cases was in […]

A northern couple who have been together for a decade were happy to learn they were the perfect match for kidney donation. Crystal Morin-Marinuk and her husband Darwin Morin have been together for 10 years. They have been dealing with trials and tribulations around Darwin’s health since the beginning. “When we first started dating, he […]

The McGill University Health Centre’s Surgical Performance Enhancement and Robotics Centre is hoping to “contribute to the shaping of the future of surgery” with the use of cutting-edge technology and artificial intelligence.

The Current23:33Grey divorce: Why more Canadians are separating later in life When Marnie Wraith looked at her relationship and asked herself if good enough was enough for her, she knew she needed a change. “I needed a recalibration of my life based just on my needs,” she told The Current host Matt Galloway.  Wraith and […]

55:49What questions do you have about making friends as an adult? For adults, making new friends can be an uphill battle.  Gone are the default spaces like school, extracurricular clubs or teams, student residence halls and other spots kids, teens and young adults naturally connect and make friends.  Adulthood puts up a host of challenges: […]

This story is part of CBC Health’s Second Opinion, a weekly analysis of health and medical science news emailed to subscribers on Saturday mornings. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here. Doctors are urging public health officials in Ontario and Alberta to step up vaccination and messaging efforts as measles outbreaks […]

Two unions representing workers at Halifax hospital sites say parking problems for employees are so acute that it will become a staffing retention issue if solutions aren’t found soon. The Houston government made good on an election campaign promise Thursday by implementing a new free parking program at health-care sites in Nova Scotia.  But angry feedback from […]

Filipino-Canadian nurse Glesy Banton-Victoria says she had planned to attend the Lapu-Lapu Day street festival in Vancouver on Saturday, but took a nap instead, exhausted by a funeral earlier in the day.  When she learned that a vehicle sped into a crowd of festival-goers at the Filipino community event, she says she was stunned by […]

The measles outbreak continues to spread across the province, with cases climbing in Elgin and Oxford counties.  Southwestern Public Health is reporting 65 additional cases on Thursday, bringing the total to 451 for the region since Oct. 30. “This sharp rise in cases may be concerning to the community. However, the majority of these cases are […]

Premier Tim Houston is going ahead with an election promise to eliminate parking fees at health-care sites in Nova Scotia starting Thursday morning. The move was a pledge from all three parties in the last provincial election, but came with concerns that parking is already an issue at busy locations like the IWK Health Centre and Victoria […]

Strong winds knocked the power out at Maisonneuve-Rosemont Hospital, leaving the intensive care unit and surgery block in the dark for over an hour. The facility’s backup generators weren’t functioning properly.

Making lifestyle adjustments could help you cut the risk of developing a stroke, dementia or late-life depression all at the same time, according to new research that has identified 17 overlapping risk factors for these brain-related conditions. Addressing even one of these risk factors, which range from high blood pressure to loneliness, can help with […]

A class action lawsuit against Canada for failing to provide adequate housing on First Nations land is being heard in Federal Court this week in Winnipeg. St. Theresa Point First Nation in Manitoba and Sandy Lake First Nation in northwestern Ontario filed the lawsuit in 2023. Over 100 First Nations have opted in to the class action. The statement […]

Alberta has experienced its deadliest flu season in recent memory and it’s not over yet. According to provincial data, 193 Albertans have died due to influenza so far this season, surpassing last year’s total of 175. That’s the highest death toll since at least 2009. The previous major peak, in 2022-23, was 123 flu deaths. Death […]

A Toronto doctor under investigation after thousands of people were potentially exposed to blood-borne infections at her gynecology office has resigned from the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario, CBC News has learned. The college investigated Dr. Esther Park’s care of two patients in her obstetrics and gynecology practice following two public complaints, according […]

When a cyberattack took multiple hospitals in southwestern Ontario offline for weeks, Kale McMurren’s cancer treatment had to move to another health-care centre two hours away.  The October 2023 attack meant that McMurren’s digital health records through Windsor Regional Hospital were unreachable. In order to get his medical history to the hospital in London where he […]

Federal party leaders and provincial governments are trying to make it easier for workers to seamlessly move between provinces as a response to U.S. tariffs, but some health-care leaders in Manitoba aren’t enthusiastic. “It just worries me that nurses are going to take this as an opportunity to strike out and look for greener pastures,” Manitoba […]

The Dose24:04Why do we smell (and how concerned should we be about it)? As the weather warms up and we start to spend more time outdoors, many of us will be reminded that people have a tendency to smell.  Pharmaceutical companies have tried for years to convince people to purchase products that cover up their […]

Karthik Babu Menon is ready to vote in his first-ever federal election, but he’s not just thinking about how to mark his ballot, but also about the potential challenges he might face in getting into the voting booth. In previous elections, he’s found voting fairly accessible as someone who uses a walker to get around […]

This story is part of CBC Health’s Second Opinion, a weekly analysis of health and medical science news emailed to subscribers on Saturday mornings. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here. A quarter of a million Canadians are diagnosed with cancer every year. When that happens, says Stephen Piazza, director of […]

Alberta’s measles outbreak is now the worst recorded in nearly three decades and that has health experts raising the alarm and renewing calls for stronger messaging from the provincial government. The surge is so concerning, Alberta’s former chief medical officer of health, Dr. Mark Joffe, who left his post less than two weeks ago, is […]

It’s only April, and 2025 is already shaping up to be the worst year for measles since the disease was declared eliminated in 1998 in Canada. Ontario continues to be the epicentre of the spread. Public Health Ontario is reporting 1,018 confirmed and probable cases of measles so far this year. The vast majority of […]

Quebec has officially passed a law requiring doctors to work in the public health-care system for five years after obtaining a medical degree in the province. Bill 83, adopted on Thursday by a vote of 72 to 30, is intended to improve access to health care for Quebecers by preventing doctors from exiting the public […]

Richard Anderson holds a photo of himself and his brother Bruce as children. In 2021, Bruce died of a suspected overdose while in a drug treatment centre in Kelowna, B.C. (Michelle Mac Donald) This First Person column is written by Richard Anderson, who lives in Silver Creek, B.C. For more information about First Person stories, […]

Adelynn Campbell’s last plane trip ended with a panic attack that she got through largely with the help of a kind flight attendant. That was last year — before 67 people were killed in January when an American Airlines jet collided with a helicopter over Washington, D.C., in the deadliest U.S. air disaster in almost a […]

RCMP say a 15-year-old has died of a suspected drug overdose in Campbell River, B.C., believed to involve the prescription opioid hydromorphone and cough medicine. Const. Maury Tyre with the Campbell River RCMP says in a statement that it’s important for youth and parents to understand the risks posed by both prescription and non-prescription medications. The […]

Quebec’s Health Ministry has declared an end to the measles outbreak in the province. A spokesperson said Tuesday the department determined the outbreak was over after no new cases were reported over the weekend. Marie-Christine Patry says an outbreak can be considered over if 32 days pass without a new reported infection. Quebec’s outbreak began in […]

Liberal Party pledges to make an access to abortion fund permanent, spend up to $20,000 for IVF treatment and invest in data collection on issues like menopause are welcomed initiatives, some women’s health advocates say. But they also cautioned that the party needs to release more details, particularly on how such initiatives would be funded. While the IVF program did lay out an […]

Ahead of the federal election, Canadians are worried about access to health care. Some private clinics, which are growing in number, charge thousands a year for primary care and out-of-pocket fees, as many people struggle with a soaring cost of living. An estimated 6.5 million Canadian adults don’t have a regular health-care provider like a family doctor […]

Election day is less than two weeks away, but Rowena Edwards is still unsure who she should vote for. “Honestly, I don’t like any candidates,” the 63-year-old told CBC News through an email interview. Edwards is one of more than eight million Canadians living with a disability. She says she spends around 20 hours a […]

The Alberta government appointed Dr. Sunil Sookram as interim chief medical officer of health Thursday amid growing measles outbreaks and after the previous top doctor left the role earlier this week. Sookram takes over for Dr. Mark Joffe, whose contract ended on Monday, after it had been extended for two weeks. Premier Danielle Smith confirmed this week that Joffe left of his own accord. […]

The Dose22:15What do I need to know about the federal government’s role in health care? Most Canadians know it’s a provincial or territorial health card they carry in their wallets, not a federal one. Still, the election April 28 does present an opportunity to have a say on certain aspects of health care the federal […]

The IWK Health Centre says it has been bombarded with feedback as it looks to overhaul its menu. The Halifax hospital for women and children launched a survey in March, asking current and former IWK families to weigh in on the Dial for Dining food services. It operates similar to room service at a hotel, […]

Quebec’s Health Ministry says it’s on the verge of declaring its measles outbreak over, just as cases reach new heights in other parts of the country. The province says it has not recorded a new measles case since it hit 40 infections on March 18. If no additional cases are reported by Saturday — 32 […]

Measles pread to 109 more people in Ontario over the last week, bringing the province’s total cases to 925 since an outbreak began in October. Sixty-nine people have required hospitalization — that’s eight more than last week — including four in intensive care. Measles is still predominantly infecting unvaccinated infants, children and adolescents in southwestern […]

Members of the World Health Organization reached a landmark agreement on Wednesday on how to learn from COVID-19, which killed millions of people in 2020-22, and prepare the world for future pandemics. Sticking points on the road to the deal included how to share drugs and vaccines fairly between wealthy countries and poorer ones. The […]

A Nova Scotia woman recovering from a lung transplant says she had to take tens of thousands of dollars from her retirement fund in order to undergo the life-saving procedure because provincial medical allowances fall far short of her expenses. Nan Clarke, who is originally from Charlottetown but retired in the Halifax area, was diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in […]

An open letter from a group of Manitoba researchers has garnered support from hundreds of other scientists and academics across the country, sounding the alarm about the effects of research cuts in the U.S. on Canadian research and urging federal political leaders to take action. The letter, which was shared Friday and as of Tuesday afternoon […]

A Federal Court judge will begin hearing arguments Tuesday in the case of a B.C. ostrich farm which has been ordered to cull its entire flock over avian flu concerns. Universal Ostrich is located on a rural road near Edgewood, in B.C.’s West Kootenay region, an approximately 175-kilometre drive east from Kelowna along a winding highway. Its […]

Nurse Leslie Warner will never forget being taken to her local RCMP detachment in Fernie, B.C., in 2022 and charged in a social security fraud operating out of Alberta. She says she was fingerprinted and had her mug shot taken. “I was like: ‘Oh my God, this is my identity theft,’” Warner recalls telling police. “I […]

Nine years ago, former B.C. provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall declared a public health emergency, in response to a sharp increase in deaths related to toxic drugs and drug overdoses.  Overdose deaths had been climbing steadily since 2010; the 474 deaths in 2015 were a 30 per cent increase from the year before. Those annual numbers […]

The Dose25:35What do I need to know about tattoo health risks? Tattooing services are regulated and largely considered safe, but there’s a growing group of experts concerned over links between tattoo ink and allergic reactions, as well as potential associations between tattoos and certain kinds of cancer.  Current evidence largely shows associations — not causation […]

On April 12, 1980, Terry Fox wrote in his diary, “Today is the day it all begins,” after starting his Marathon of Hope in St. John’s.  On Saturday, Terry’s older brother Fred Fox returned to Mile 0, the place where it all started 45 years ago, and ran the path to the city hall as his brother […]

White Coat Black Art26:30Meet the people who help sedate you One solution to a critical shortage of anesthesiologists in Canada could lie with increasing the ranks of anesthesia assistants, advocates say. “In a situation where we have a serious … access to surgical care issue, we have to think about creative solutions to move forward […]

This story is part of CBC Health’s Second Opinion, a weekly analysis of health and medical science news emailed to subscribers on Saturday mornings. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here. Dr. Michelle Barton has been working at the heart of Ontario’s measles outbreak for months, trying to contain the damage […]

White Coat Black Art26:30Public healthcare is a national crisis. So why isn’t it an election priority? In this federal election period, the twists and turns of tariffs, annexation threats and other surprises from the Trump administration have stolen focus from addressing the state of public healthcare in Canada. A leading expert on health law and policy […]

A Winnipeg-born gynecologist and bestselling author says she’s had enough with the United States, but she’s also prescribing a stark warning for Canadian voters concerned about the future of their own reproductive health care. Dr. Jen Gunter, whose books include The Vagina Bible and The Menopause Manifesto, has long been an outspoken women’s health advocate, working to dispel myths […]

Canada has a unique chance to become a medical and scientific powerhouse — if it moves quickly to scoop up professionals leaving the United States in the wake of health cuts and layoffs, the head of the Canadian Medical Association says. Dr. Joss Reimer, president of the Canadian Medical Association, says American medical professionals often face […]

Measles case counts in Ontario continue to climb with the bulk of cases concentrated in southwestern Ontario, according to new data released by Public Health Ontario (PHO) on Thursday. Health units that oversee that part of the province account for roughly 87.6 per cent of the cases recorded since the outbreak began this past fall.  It’s […]

Multiple pharmacists linked to a south Thunder Bay, Ont., pharmacy face an additional set of misconduct allegations by the profession’s provincial regulator, including falsifying records. One pharmacist also faces allegations of taking or misappropriating drugs from the shop on Victoria Avenue.  Fort William Medical Pharmacy and two pharmacists were already under the Ontario College of […]

Dr. Sophia Halassy couldn’t be happier. The 32-year old bilingual obstetrician-gynecologist is settling into a new job at the Dr. Georges-L.-Dumont University Hospital Centre in Moncton, helping to tackle a years-long waiting list of patients.  This is a homecoming for Halassy, her husband and their two young daughters. After more than a decade of medical school, residency and […]

B.C.’s Human Rights Commissioner Kasari Govender says she has found “systemic discrimination” in how health authorities detain vulnerable adults who are at risk of harm. Adults who appear to be abused, neglected, or facing self-neglect and are unable to give consent for care in hospitals or care facilities are sometimes detained under the Adult Guardianship […]

A Canadian researcher has won a 2025 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences for discovering the GLP-1 hormone used in diabetes and obesity medications — including Ozempic, Wegovy and Mounjaro — that have changed the lives of millions of people around the world. Dr. Daniel Drucker, an endocrinologist and a clinician-scientist at the University of Toronto and the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research […]

Ontario’s measles outbreak has become so big that public health officials in New York state have included the province in a travel advisory that urges residents to get vaccinated before visiting. “Measles is only a car ride away!” reads the April 2nd measles travel advisory for all New Yorkers from the New York State Department […]

There is a window of relief for British Columbia farmers from the devastating waves of avian flu, leaving them to assess the toll of outbreaks spanning more than three years that saw millions of birds culled at hundreds of farms. Farmers and scientists also worry what the next migration of wild birds will bring this year. Some […]

U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. travelled to West Texas on Sunday after a second unvaccinated school-aged child died from a measles-related illness. Ahead of a “Make America Healthy Again” tour across the southwestern United States, Kennedy said in a social media post that he was in Gaines County to comfort families who had […]

The Dose25:07How do I deal with stress in situations I can’t fully control? Political science professor Julie Simmons is no stranger to stressful current events.  Though she’s active in discussions around Canada’s current federal election campaign, Simmons says it’s the U.S. government’s unpredictability — including threats to the Canada-U.S. relationship — that have her stress […]

A Burnaby spa employee who provided purported vaginal-tightening treatments has been found guilty on all seven charges of sexual assault by a B.C. Supreme Court jury. Farshad Khojsteh Kashani was first charged in 2022 after two clients of Fab Skin Care complained to police of being sexually assaulted during treatments. After police said there might be more victims, five more […]

This story is part of CBC Health’s Second Opinion, a weekly analysis of health and medical science news emailed to subscribers on Saturday mornings. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here. Many top scientists in the U.S. are now out of a job. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. is aiming […]

Recent city data shows the number of non-fatal suspected overdoses paramedics respond to has declined over the last six months. The figures were collected by Toronto Public Health in collaboration with Toronto Paramedic Services using the calls it receives each month.  In September, there were 357 reported non-fatal suspected overdoses, a number that fell to 163 in February. […]

Patrick Cully wasn’t sure his daughter Scarlet would ever be able to say, “I love you.” But she’s now talking, thanks to applied behaviour analysis (ABA) therapy in Thunder Bay, Ont., where the four-year-old lives with her parents, and a $190,000 grant the family says they received under Jordan’s Principle, a program run by Indigenous Services Canada […]

Health officials in three Ontario hotspots for measles are focusing on communication and vaccination to help get the outbreaks under control. Public Health Ontario on Thursday reported 89 new cases of measles since March 26, bringing the province’s total of confirmed and probable cases this year to 655. They have been linked to a travel-related case in New […]

Nova Scotia’s health authority says it has hired one doctor eager to leave the United States because of President Donald Trump, and is in talks with more than two dozen more. The authority launched a digital recruiting campaign in the U.S. in November, targeting physicians feeling uneasy about the election results. “We saw it as an […]

Scientists may have produced the strongest evidence yet that the shingles vaccine is linked to reduced dementia risk. Using the health records of more than 280,000 older adults in Wales, researchers found those who received the shingles vaccine were 20 per cent less likely to develop dementia over the next seven years than those who […]

Saskatchewan adults might not have sufficient immunity to the latest measles outbreak and are being asked to check their vaccination records and get a booster shot if needed. Cases of measles, which is highly contagious and can lead to serious complications, have been on the rise across Canada recently and there were three cases in Saskatchewan in […]

Some fungal diseases in humans no longer respond to medicines, which increases the risk of severe illness and death as well disease spread, according to a new report. On Tuesday, the World Health Organization (WHO) published what it calls its first-ever report on the lack of tests and treatments for fungal infections. Yeasts, moulds and mushrooms […]

This First Person column is by Eyasu Yakob, who is a nursing student in Edmonton. For more information about CBC’s First Person stories, please see the FAQ.  I began nursing school in 2021 at the University of Alberta during the COVID-19 pandemic. Across Canada, growing attention was being raised around the shortage of nurses as many […]

Prescription drugs have been exempt from tariffs in the past. But Donald Trump looks poised to change that as early as April 2. That could result in shortages for critical drugs for Americans, warn experts.  Bupropion, used to treat major depressive disorder; ibalizumab, for patients with multi-drug-resistant HIV; and sotalol, to treat a life-threatening heart rhythm […]

When Susannah McKenzie-Sutter heard her cousin in Ontario needed a kidney transplant, the 28-year-old Saint John woman didn’t hesitate to offer one of hers. She hasn’t kept in close touch with McKenzie Smith in recent years but has fond childhood memories of spending summers with her “cool older cousin.”  Preliminary blood tests showed she’s a good match. […]

An Ontario judge has granted an injunction to keep 10 supervised consumption sites open while he considers a Charter challenge of a new provincial law that bans the sites from operating within 200 metres of schools or daycares. Justice John Callaghan of the Superior Court of Justice said all sites slated to close under the […]

The Dose19:40What do I need to know about benzodiazepines? Within 10 minutes of disclosing his sleepless nights to his family doctor, Georges Marcoux had a little white pill in his hand. His doctor in Shediac, N.B., prescribed him a sleeping pill, Oxazepam, which gave him relief for a few weeks. “I got the prescription, and […]

This story is part of CBC Health’s Second Opinion, a weekly analysis of health and medical science news emailed to subscribers on Saturday mornings. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here. There’s a sizzling debate on social media over seed oils, with some people adamantly claiming they are unhealthy. But new research, which […]

It cost $25 million to build, but barely a year after its opening and less than six months in operation, the family birth unit at Montreal’s Notre-Dame Hospital is closed for good. The CIUSSS du Centre-Sud-de-l’Île-de-Montréal, which oversees the hospital, announced the closure a week ago, blaming a lack of specialized obstetrics staff. The loss […]

Bird flu is at a dangerous point in the United States: Nearly 167 million birds have been impacted by the H5N1 strain since 2022, and 70 people have been infected. Now, birds are flying our way for the spring migration season. A snow goose near Montreal, a great horned owl in southwestern Ontario, a Canada goose in […]

At the end of the fourth round in a six-round fight on Aug. 28, 2021, Jeanette Zacarias Zapata went into convulsions. A left uppercut and a right hook from her opponent were among the string of punches that had become too much to overcome for the 18-year-old Mexican boxer. Her trainer, on-site paramedics and a […]

Marcie McIlveen never thought she’d work in a hospital. Due to her negative experiences in treatment for substance use disorder on about 14 occasions, “I hated health care, did not like it, wanted nothing to do with it,” McIlveen said. What she endured, however, has led to the work she does today. McIlveen is a peer […]

The Cure is a CBC News series examining strategies provinces and territories are using to tackle the primary care crisis. A group of doctors in British Columbia’s northeast, with the help of city council, has saved a clinic from closure — and now has its sights set on bringing team-based care to a region where many people are […]

7 days ago News Duration 2:55 Originally touted as a healthier option than cigarettes, statistics show vaping’s popularity is rising among young people in Quebec. Health experts say it’s now become a public health issue, and they’re trying to develop ways to help people stop.

As Canada deals with its largest measles outbreak in more than a decade, health experts say a COVID-era tool could help tame the spread. Wastewater surveillance, which involves testing sewage samples for viral pathogens, became essential during the pandemic. The data helped overwhelmed health officials map out COVID-19’s path and better predict the trajectory of cases.  […]

Weekly tutoring sessions. Reluctance to see friends in person. These are just some ways in which the educational impacts of COVID-19 still linger for Katherine Korakakis and her children, 14-year-old Bella and 17-year-old Nathan. “We’re spending probably close to $400 a week for the children to supplement and there’s no other option because they’re still not caught up,” says […]

Around 10:45 on the morning of Feb. 25, Lee Goguen asked her father if he had any last requests. The death that was coming to 70-year-old Gerald Goguen was the death he had chosen weeks in advance and his wife of 41 years had chosen to go with him.    Diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2008, Gerald’s […]

When Bruce Masales was diagnosed with Stage 4 bladder cancer, he says the news came without warning. But as a longtime volunteer Halifax firefighter, Masales said he at least took comfort in the belief he would receive financial compensation.  However, Masales said he was told he doesn’t qualify under the provincial Workers’ Compensation Board or other municipal insurance […]

Wietske Flor goes through every day wondering when the next seizure will hit.  Sometimes, the seizures happen multiple times a day. Sometimes, days will go by without one, leaving her on guard and waiting for the inevitable.  It means the 41-year-old Chilliwack mom can’t be left alone to care for her three kids, aged nine […]

Quirks and Quarks19:30Beyond long COVID — how reinfections could be causing silent long term organ damage COVID may no longer be considered an official global emergency, but mounting scientific evidence suggests every COVID infection a person gets increases their risk of developing long-term health issues.  “There is no such thing as a COVID infection without consequence,” […]

Canada has slipped to 18th place in the global World Happiness Report, down three spots from last year and placing it among the “largest losers” in happiness rankings over the last two decades, according to the annual report released Thursday. At its peak, in the 2015 report, Canada had placed fifth. Now, in 18th, Canada has dropped to […]

In an 11-page court document filed Thursday, the former CEO of Alberta Health Services alleges the province’s health minister and AHS have crafted a narrative about her that is “completely unfounded, entirely fictitious, malicious” and replete with “bad faith allegations.” Athana Mentzelopoulos was responding to statements of defence from the provincial health agency and Health […]

This story is part of CBC Health’s Second Opinion, a weekly analysis of health and medical science news emailed to subscribers on Saturday mornings. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here. Once a day, Tim Lagman takes a pill that reduces his risk of contracting HIV, a precaution he’s taken since […]

Measles is so infectious that when under-vaccinated individuals mingle, they’ll always be at risk. That’s why public health officials are stressing the importance of high vaccination rates amid backsliding and growing outbreaks. The disease is spreading across the country, with hundreds of cases reported this year and the majority in Ontario. The resurgence comes amid falling […]

When Jennie Passche gets sick, she finds herself in a competition to get care. The 65-year-old in Esquimalt, on B.C.’s Vancouver Island, says she has to wake up early to call her community’s urgent and primary care centre, which opened in 2021 to provide same-day care and alleviate the family doctor shortage. But by the time […]

Hundreds of nurses rallied outside several Ontario hospitals on Thursday to demand that CEOs improve staffing levels across the province. The Ontario Nurses’ Association (ONA), which represents 68,000 registered nurses, health care professionals and student affiliates, said it wants hospital leaders to implement registered nurse-to-patient staffing ratios to ensure quality of care. Such ratios represent the maximum […]

The health unit for Oxford County, Elgin County and the City of St. Thomas is dealing with almost half of the measles cases in Ontario with 228 people infected, predominantly in unvaccinated kids.  The medical officer of health for Southwestern Public Health (SWPH) said Thursday that 28 new cases were reported this past week. He also debunked […]

The provincial government has for years kept a hand in the contracting-out of private surgeries through Alberta Health Services, despite repeated comments by the premier and health minister that any potential issues with procurement are AHS’s own responsibility. Multiple documents obtained by CBC News show direct interventions by Alberta’s health minister into AHS contracting matters, […]

As astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams get their land legs back on Earth, the effects of being stranded in space for nine months — and their recovery — will give scientists a chance to improve preparations for eventual, and even longer, space flights, say experts. NASA aims to send humans to Mars as early as the 2030s; flights which, there […]

Scientists are raising the alarm over low measles vaccination rates in parts of B.C. as concern grows over outbreaks in Ontario and Texas. Health officials in Ontario say there have been 350 cases of the virus in the province since late October — with 173 of those infections reported within the last several weeks — and in late February, […]

As concerns about measles grow, and case counts tick up, health-care workers are preparing for a surge and pleading with Albertans to ensure they’re fully vaccinated. Alberta Health said there were 11 confirmed cases in the province as of Monday afternoon, including one in the Calgary zone, two in the Edmonton zone and eight in the […]

Testing wastewater for diseases and viral activity gained prominence during the pandemic, but scientists are concerned that funding for such work could be threatened. Monitoring wastewater for pathogens — and even illicit and prescription drugs — was around for decades before the pandemic, but the method of estimating virus levels gained public attention at the peak […]

The United States reported the first outbreak of the deadly H7N9 bird flu on a poultry farm since 2017, as the country continues to grapple with another bird flu strain that has infected humans and caused egg prices to hit record highs. The spread of avian influenza, commonly called bird flu, has ravaged flocks around […]

Protesters demanding the government provide more funding and treatment for people with long COVID gathered at a demonstration at the Vancouver Art Gallery on Saturday. Long COVID is a chronic condition that can lead to debilitating symptoms, like brain fog and fatigue, months or even years after an acute COVID-19 infection. No one knows exactly how […]

The Dose22:51What does the research show about the benefits of creatine supplements? Creatine is a naturally occurring compound that provides energy to our muscles and brain, but it also comes in supplement form. It’s long been used by athletes and bodybuilders, but now some research suggests it may also improve cognition. Darren Candow, professor and director of […]

White Coat Black Art26:30Saving elderly patients from the hazards of the ER It’s 7 a.m. in the emergency department of St. Mary’s Hospital in Montreal, and geriatric nurse Leeza Paolone is starting her day in front of a screen filled with patient names, taking note of each one highlighted in blue. “We’re fighting against the […]

As anxiety grew among Nova Scotians over the fear of the arrival of COVID-19 in early March 2020, Premier Stephen McNeil wanted to meet with a public health official he barely knew. That person’s name? Dr. Robert Strang, the province’s chief medical officer of health. Because Public Health operates independently of government, McNeil said there was a hesitance for […]

Alberta Health Services alleges the wrongful dismissal suit of the organization’s former CEO is “groundless” and an attempt to extract a larger severance payment. In a statement of defence filed Friday in Edmonton’s Court of King’s Bench, the provincial health agency says it terminated former CEO Athana Mentzelopoulos because she wasn’t fulfilling her duties. The […]

The province’s chief medical officer of health is urging Ontarians to make sure they are immunized against the measles, amid the most severe outbreak in the province in more than a decade. In a statement Friday, Dr. Kieran Moore said there have been 350 cases of the virus in Ontario since late October — with 173 of those infections reported […]

The Alberta government wants to cut more than $400 million in the fees it pays to doctors, according to a confidential memo obtained by The Canadian Press. The Feb. 18 memo, sent by Alberta Medical Association head Dr. Shelley Duggan to member physicians, says Alberta’s health ministry seeks cuts to more than 800 physician billing […]

Years before some 2,500 patients of a Toronto gynecologist were warned about a possible infection risk linked to improperly cleaned tools, Rachael Millanta filed a complaint about her experience at the clinic. After CBC Toronto was first to report on Dr. Esther Park’s office where Toronto Public Health said earlier this month that cleaning protocols were not being followed, […]

Two people died a little over an hour apart in Victoria on Monday, Victoria police and the B.C. Coroners Service have confirmed.  An outreach worker says the city’s enforcement of anti-sheltering bylaws has made it more difficult for support workers to help those struggling on downtown streets and blames their deaths on drug overdoses. The B.C. Coroners Service […]

Dr. Alex Wong vividly remembers the night, five years ago, when he read modelling data about the potential surge of COVID-19 positive patients in Saskatchewan. His kids were sleeping peacefully, unaware of what was coming. “[It] basically showed that we were going to get crushed, like the system was going to get crushed,” he said, revealing that […]

British Columbia has turned its eye toward luring doctors and nurses from the United States to move north in what Health Minister Josie Osborne is calling an “unprecedented” recruitment opportunity. Osborne says the province is changing its licensing rules so U.S.-trained doctors can begin practising in B.C. right away, without any need for further assessment, exams […]

When Nathanael Rafinejad first moved to Montreal, they loved the city’s nightlife and worked as a bartender and a waiter while studying business management. But after catching COVID-19 in January 2022, the 29-year-old is now mostly confined to their apartment. “I feel completely cut off from the world most of the time,” said Rafinejad. “I […]

Hantavirus, the rodent-borne pathogen blamed for the death of concert pianist Betsy Arakawa, the wife of actor Gene Hackman, is a rare but often fatal virus that has killed at least 34 people in Canada over the past three decades. Arakawa, 65, died of hantavirus pulmonary syndrome in mid-February, roughly a week before the 95-year-old Hackman […]

Conversations are happening in Nova Scotia about developing the first midwifery education program east of Quebec. Documents released to CBC News under freedom of information laws show correspondence between provincial officials in recent months that mention Mount Saint Vincent University and Cape Breton University as possible locations. It’s welcome news to midwives in Nova Scotia, who […]

Retired nurse Valerie Alderson doesn’t find herself thinking back to the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic anymore, but when someone brings it up, “it’s a flashback of what has happened.” That includes the death of her 82-year-old dad, Lloyd Hodgins, who was sent to the hospital after breaking his hip in a fall and […]

Stem cell researchers are trying to reverse a deadly genetic variant that’s plagued families in this province for generations. Those who carry the mutation say the medical research is straight out of science fiction.

In defence of the Cialis and Viagra he was accused of passing off as “natural health” remedies, Yan (Andy) Zhang claimed he took one of the products himself — “almost daily.” The owner of four Lower Mainland sex shops said he had “no adverse reaction” to the medicine that he sold as a “reliable traditional herbal formula” called “Harmony.” […]

This story is part of CBC Health’s Second Opinion, a weekly analysis of health and medical science news emailed to subscribers on Saturday mornings. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here. Measles infections are ticking up and up across multiple provinces, with more cases already this year than all of 2024. Local public […]

The annual death toll of people experiencing homelessness in British Columbia has nearly tripled in just a four-year period, according to the B.C. Coroners Service. A new report says at least 458 homeless people died in 2023, up 23 per cent from the year before, when 373 died. The new toll was also nearly three times […]

In the fall provincial election campaign, Premier David Eby and NDP candidates made bold promises for investments to improve the health-care system in order to address staff shortages and gaps in vital services. But patient groups and health-care workers who spoke to CBC News say they are disappointed to see several key campaign promises absent from […]

A historic deal that calls for three major tobacco companies to pay out billions in compensation to provinces and territories as well as former smokers across Canada has cleared its final legal hurdle in Ontario, bringing a decades-long court saga to a close. Ontario Superior Court Chief Justice Geoffrey Morawetz approved the $32.5-billion plan in a […]

In a small auditorium at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre in Toronto, about a half-dozen cancer patients sit, getting tips on how to deal with hair loss during chemotherapy. It’s not an unusual workshop for cancer patients — except that every patient in the room is under 40. It’s part of a program at the […]

The federal government is moving to add PFAS, a class of thousands of chemicals used in a wide range of products from food containers to clothing, to the official list of toxic substances, in light of growing scientific and public concern about the substances in Canada and around the world. PFAS, or per- and polyfluoroalkyl […]

It’s been almost five years, but family members of Canadians who died of COVID-19 in the first year of the pandemic often feel as if they are frozen in 2020. It pains them that they couldn’t hold the hands of their parents, siblings, spouses and friends in the final moments of their lives. Instead, they […]

A former chief judge of the Provincial Court of Manitoba will lead an investigation into the procurement practices of Alberta Health and the province’s health authority. Christopher McPherson, deputy minister of Jobs, Economy and Trade, announced in a news release Monday afternoon that Raymond E. Wyant, who fully retired as a judge last year, will lead […]

In Nanyuki, a market town just northwest of Mount Kenya, some foreign aid workers and volunteers are worried what U.S. President Donald Trump’s dismantling of the U.S. Agency for International Development will mean for the people there. “It’s a concern. It’s a real issue,” said Rex Taylor, co-founder and president of The Small Project, a registered Canadian charity that helps […]

He was known as “the man with the golden arm.” James Harrison, who according to the Australian Red Cross was the world’s most prolific blood and plasma donor, has died at age 88. Harrison’s plasma contained the rare antibody Anti-D, also known as Rhesus D antibody, which is used to make the medication given to mothers whose […]

When Kwaku Ayisi lost a friend who hadn’t even reached 40 to breast cancer, it inspired him to look at the barriers Black women face in Saskatchewan’s breast-health system. Ayisi, a researcher at the University of Regina, saw that Black women had much higher breast cancer mortality rates and wanted to know why. He found that Black women are more […]

Ontario identified 78 new measles cases over the course of two weeks, public health officials said Thursday, calling it the largest outbreak the province has seen in almost 30 years. The new cases bring Ontario’s total this year to just over 140, far surpassing the 101 total infections recorded in the province between 2013 and […]

Andrea Hancock says she understands that people are angry with her daughter — she’s angry too — but she says the 19-year-old is also severely unwell, and she warned police, social workers, doctors, shelter workers, therapists — even the neighbours — that her daughter was dangerous.   “I said, ‘Somebody is going to get hurt … […]

White Coat Black Art26:30What if palliative care was about living better? Palliative care has an image problem. Despite what people think, it’s not some kind of “Grim Reaper service,” say two of Canada’s leading experts in this field of medicine. Ideally, it should focus on improving a patient’s quality of life when they are facing […]

Five years after the first reported COVID-19 case in Quebec, the province’s curfew remains controversial — more than half the fines are unpaid, legal battles continue and health experts still debate whether the benefits outweighed the costs. Quebec was the only province to prohibit its citizens from leaving their homes at night during the pandemic. Premier François […]

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Food and Drug Administration took part in a World Health Organization meeting to discuss flu vaccine composition, an official at the UN agency said on Friday. President Donald Trump started the 12-month withdrawal process for the U.S. to leave the WHO on his first day […]

This story is part of CBC Health’s Second Opinion, a weekly analysis of health and medical science news emailed to subscribers on Saturday mornings. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here. A drug prevention program that began in Montreal has been found to reduce the risk of substance use disorders in […]

As It Happens7:03For the 1st time in Canada, surgeons are putting teeth in patients’ eyes to restore sight When Brent Chapman’s doctor first pitched him on the idea of having one of his own teeth surgically embedded in his eye to restore his sight, he says he felt “a little apprehensive.” But then he spoke […]

After years of planning and fundraising, a new pelvic health suite has opened at Dartmouth General Hospital, bringing some urology and gynecology procedures under one roof in the hopes of reducing wait times and improving efficiency. The Deanne Reeve Pelvic Health Suite is the first of its kind in Atlantic Canada and will provide a dedicated space to […]

The former head of Alberta Health Services, Athana Mentzelopoulos, tried to caution the government about the potential impact of chartered surgical facilities on the provincial health-care system months before she was fired, CBC has learned. Mentzelopoulos earlier this month filed a $1.7-million wrongful dismissal suit alleging she faced government pressure to sign off on commitments […]

A tube of lip balm may seem like the perfect antidote to dry, cracked lips.  But do these over-the-counter products soothe flaking or can they make it worse?  Though dry lips can happen year-round, they’re most common during the winter. The cold outdoors paired with the low-humidity indoors can strip moisture from soft, pillowy lips.  […]

The federal government has appointed former Nunavut Tunngavik Incorporated (NTI) president Aluki Kotierk to oversee an external review of the Nutrition North subsidy.  Nutrition North is a subsidy program that aims to reduce the delivery costs of perishable items and some non-food products to remote communities, where food can cost much more than in larger centres. Retailers […]

We have smeared snail goo on our foreheads and taken swigs of marine collagen. We have rigorously massaged our jawlines with jade rollers, lathered ourselves in petroleum jelly and called it “slugging” (not to be confused with snail goo), and even injected our own blood back into our faces in what we’ve deemed “vampire facials.” We have paid […]

The administrator and interim CEO of Alberta Heath Services changed AHS’s official rules to declare that only the deputy health minister could be named CEO of the health agency — a change made while he was serving as deputy health minister. That all had to change days later, after Premier Danielle Smith temporarily removed Andre Tremblay […]

As the evening cold set in, Lindy Trapper and three friends spread a blanket on a platform overlooking the tracks at Villa-Maria Metro, in Montreal’s west end. Soon after, two intervention workers told them to leave. They were escorted up to the subway entrance, but without any clear options, stayed inside. “I hang around in […]

Ken Rekowski has had to make a home of his room at the Renfrew Victoria Hospital for most of the last 16 years. The 53-year-old was first admitted in 2009 after a car crash left him with a serious brain injury. Since then, he’s been waiting for suitable permanent care in the small community west of […]

The Current19:15How to beat insomnia with cognitive behavioural therapy For more than 30 years, Faye Dickieson battled the exhausting effects of insomnia. She turned to sleeping pills in an attempt to get a peaceful night’s rest, but found no relief — only its lingering side effects.  “I would just toss and turn, toss and turn,” […]

Health A news release from Health Canada says the solvent can be absorbed through the skin or by inhaling it, and it may cause harm to fetal development and the reproductive system when used frequently. Affected products have expiry dates of November 2025 and April 2026 The Canadian Press · Posted: Feb 22, 2025 7:50 […]

White Coat Black Art26:30Primary care for all: Lessons from Denmark Emily Ritchie wasn’t nervous about finding a doctor in Denmark. She knew that within days of moving from Vancouver to her family’s new home in Copenhagen last year, they would be connected to a general practitioner.  Denmark residents are given a card with a number they […]

The flu may be at its worst in Canada since the COVID-19 pandemic. The Public Health Agency of Canada’s Flu Watch report, released Friday, shows test positivity for influenza at 26.9 per cent and rising. “Nationally, indicators of influenza activity continue to increase,” according to the report. “The percentage of tests positive for influenza is […]

It was in early January that Awanti Naik’s symptoms first crept up on her, starting with double vision and quickly followed by a debilitating headache and a strange feeling in her face.  “There was heaviness in my jaw and eyes, and my throat was completely blocked,” she said. “I was very much worried.”  She and […]

Ontario’s Ministry of Health is asking some health units in the province to accelerate and expand administering measles vaccines as outbreaks continue to grow. The areas in question are in the southwest where 92 cases of measles have been confirmed since January, many in children and almost all in unvaccinated people. Southwestern Public Health (SWPH), which […]

Health Canada is warning people that unauthorized sexual enhancement products sold in at least three provinces may pose serious health risks. In a public advisory published on Wednesday, the agency told people to stop using the 372 different products they’d identified — with names like Spanish Fly 22,000, Rhino 69 and Magnum Gold  — and consult a health-care professional if […]

People who rely on prescription opioids such as hydromorphone must now take those safe supply drugs under the supervision of a pharmacist, in a major about-face by the provincial government announced Wednesday by B.C.’s health minister.  “People who rely on prescription opioids such as hydromorphone must now take those safe supply drugs under the supervision of […]

Tonight health care will once again be top-of-mind for residents of Walkerton, Ont. With eight days to go before a provincial election and only four weeks after hundreds of people lined up in the cold for a chance to secure a family doctor, candidates will gather for a health-care focused all-candidates debate at Victoria Jubilee […]

An independent group of physicians on Vancouver Island is renewing calls for B.C.s Ministry of Health to make good on a promise to create space for overdose prevention at acute care facilities.  An unsanctioned overdose prevention site has been set up near the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, where volunteers with experience in recognizing and […]

Shannon Driscoll struggled with painful and heavy periods her whole life.  Like a lot of people, she tried birth control pills to mitigate the pain and regulate her cycle. But nothing worked — until she got an intrauterine device, known as an IUD. That was about eight years ago, and now she’s on her second IUD. […]

Health authorities in British Columbia say a new case of the measles has been confirmed in the Lower Mainland, in a resident who travelled to Southeast Asia. A joint statement from Fraser Health and Vancouver Coastal Health says the infection was acquired by a Fraser Health resident and that public health officials are following up […]

WARNING: This article contains mention of suicide and suicidal ideation. You can find ​a​ variety of things on​ a New Brunswick​ farm: potatoes​, cows and ​a tractor, ​for instance — and more stress than you might think. A recently launched crisis line aimed at Canadian farmers is a much-needed resource, according to a New Brunswick group.  Anxiety, depression and chronic stress […]