Latest news with #PublicHealth
CTV News
2 hours ago
- Health
- CTV News
Quebec urges caution regarding tick, mosquito bites
From Jan. 1 to Oct. 26, 2024, 681 cases of Lyme disease were reported in Quebec. As summer begins, Quebec's Ministry of Health and Social Services is urging caution regarding tick and mosquito bites, which can transmit several diseases and viruses. Tick and mosquito populations are on the rise in several regions due to climate change, and the milder climate allows them to survive and thrive more easily. Quebec is reminding residents that ticks and mosquitoes can transmit Lyme disease, West Nile virus, and California Serogroup viruses, among others. The ministry notes that there are simple precautions people can take to protect themselves, such as using a DEET or icaridin-based mosquito repellent and wearing light-coloured, lightweight clothing. To protect yourself more specifically from ticks, prioritize walking on trails and avoid tall grass. If a tick attaches itself to your skin, remove it carefully, ideally within 24 hours. Lyme disease is the most common tick-borne disease in Quebec. As is the case elsewhere in the country, the numbers have increased significantly in recent years. In 2023, 2022, and 2021, there were 652, 586, and 709 cases, respectively. In comparison, there were 125 cases in 2014, 160 in 2015, and 177 in 2016. Lyme disease is transmitted by a tick bite carrying bacteria. It can also affect animals. In humans, the most common symptom of the disease is a red rash on the skin. Many people experience fatigue, fever, and body aches, but if the disease is not detected and treated quickly, the bacteria can spread through the bloodstream and cause other, more dire symptoms. If you suspect you may have been infected, Quebec recommends calling Info-Santé at 811. This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 20, 2025.
CTV News
17 hours ago
- Health
- CTV News
Toxic drug supply causing complex overdoses in Sudbury
Officials are warning that street drugs are being mixed with other substances, making Naxalone ineffective to combat overdoses. Officials are warning that street drugs are being mixed with other substances, making Naxalone ineffective to combat overdoses. Outreach workers and Public Health Sudbury and Districts say toxic overdoses have been increasing in the area lately. Officials said illegal drugs are being cut with substances that Naloxone -- a medication for opioid overdoses – can't reverse. Naxalone Officials said illegal drugs are being cut with substances that Naloxone -- a medication for opioid overdoses – can't reverse. (Alana Everson/CTV News) In May, the Go Give Project said it handed out about 220 Naloxone kits, a fast-acting medication that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose. But Ali Farooq, The Go Give Project co-founder, said it only works on opioid overdoses. Increase in toxic overdoses 'While it will reverse the effects of the opioid that the individual is suffering, it will not have any other effect on any other contaminants or additives to the supply,' Farooq said. He said outreach workers are seeing an increase in toxic overdoses, which he attributed to a more toxic drug supply. 'This usually ties in when we have big drug busts in the province and around the country,' Farooq said. 'It limits the supply coming in and therefore we find more and more contaminants mixed in with the drugs going out onto the streets.' Sam Mortimer Public Health nurse Sam Mortimer said it's a reminder of just how toxic the unregulated drug supply is and making overdoses more complex. (Alana Everson/CTV News) Public Health said it's a reminder of just how toxic the unregulated drug supply is and making overdoses more complex. 'Those sedatives and tranquilizers that have been added into the supply in recent years increase those effects,' said public health nurse Sam Mortimer. 'We are seeing people who are staying asleep or sedated for a lot longer, which puts them at a greater risk. And it also decreases their ability to breathe, which, again, puts them at risk for respiratory distress or arrest.' Health unit officials said it's still vitally important to administer Naloxone in an overdose, call 911 and give rescue breaths while waiting for help.
The Hindu
a day ago
- Health
- The Hindu
Primary Health Centres can be approached for hepatitis B vaccine, says TN govt
With a number of private hospitals continuing to face a shortage of Hepatitis B vaccines, the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine has said that the nearest Primary Health Centre (PHC) can be approached for vaccinating children against hepatitis B as per Universal Immunisation Programme (UIP) schedule. Several private hospitals across the State have been facing short supply of hepatitis B vaccines especially for vaccinating their healthcare workers and patients such as those on dialysis. A private hospital in Chennai that administers both pentavalent and hexavalent vaccines containing hepatitis B under UIP currently has adequate stock. The Health department said that there was no shortage of the vaccine in government hospitals. Health Minister Ma. Subramanian recently said that the State had a stock of 6,21,320 doses of the vaccine at present. This was adequate to meet the requirements for 8.5 months. Similarly, 5,52,100 pentavalent vaccines were also available to take care of the needs for the next 2.5 months. T. S. Selvavinayagam, Director of Public Health, reiterated that nearby PHCs can be approached for vaccinating children as per UIP schedule. A doctor, who has been closely following the hepatitis B vaccine situation, said that Hepatitis B vaccination in adults is always challenging. It was being implemented by covering key populations who have been screened and found as hepatitis negative before vaccination, he said. Open Vial Policy for hepatitis B vaccine to prevent wastage is one of the main challenges. This allows usage of an open vial for up to 28 days. 'The vaccine is administered to the targeted groups (among adults) after hepatitis B testing. In fact, the test kits are also in short supply' he said.
Medscape
a day ago
- Health
- Medscape
Do Sugary Drinks Raise Dementia Risk in Older Adults?
Higher intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) or artificially sweetened beverages (ASB) in later life was not associated with the risk for all-cause dementia, pooled data from six large prospective cohort studies showed. However, more research to examine the impact of such beverages in younger cohorts is warranted. The null associations were consistent across subgroups defined by age, sex, BMI, and presence of chronic disease and the findings were robust in sensitivity analysis, reported the authors, led by Hui Chen, with the School of Public Health, The Second Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China. The study was published online on June 18 in JAMA Psychiatry. Mixed Data Previous observational studies have suggested possible links between high consumption of sweetened beverages and increased dementia risk, although findings have been inconsistent. To provide more definitive evidence, researchers analyzed long-term data from 10,974 adults enrolled in the Health and Retirement Study (2013), the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study (1987-1995), the Chicago Healthy and Aging Project (1993-2012), the Rush Memory and Aging Project (1997-2005), the Framingham Heart Study original cohort (1986-1994), and its offspring cohort (1991-2001). The mean age at baseline was 73 years and 60% were women. SSB and ASB intake were assessed using validated food frequency questionnaires and dementia diagnoses were confirmed through active follow-up and standardized clinical protocols. A total of 2445 participants developed dementia during 116,067 person-years of follow-up. The consumption of SSB and ASB was not associated with increased dementia risk. The pooled hazard ratio (HR) per serving per week was 0.99 (95% CI, 0.98-1.01; P = .18) for SSB and 1.00 (95% CI, 0.99-1.01; P = .99) for ASB. Even among those consuming at least one daily serving, no statistically significant association was found (HR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.78-1.03 for SSB and HR, 1.00; 95% CI, 0.84-1.21 for ASB). The narrow CIs indicate 'relatively high precision,' the investigators noted and 'suggests that the lack of associations is less likely due to inadequate statistical power and more reflective of an absence of association between SSB, ASB, and dementia risk.' Key strengths of the six studies include the long-term follow-up — 10.7 years on average — which is longer than most prior studies, and the inclusion of only older adults, therefore excluding early-onset dementia. The limitation is that the study population had a lower prevalence of daily SSB and ASB intake (roughly 10%) compared with the general US older population, where it's estimated that roughly 20% of individuals aged 55 years or older consume these beverages daily. Summing up, Chen and colleagues said their findings suggest that in late life, consumption of sweetened beverages may not independently increase the risk for dementia. However, given their harmful effects on metabolic health and related chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes and obesity, the effects of early-life consumption of SSB and ASB on the risk for dementia need to be investigated, they noted.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
'We are still here, yet invisible.' Study finds that U.S. government has overestimated Native American life expectancy
Official U.S. records dramatically underestimate mortality and life expectancy disparities for Native Americans, according to a new, groundbreaking study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association. The research, led by the Boston University School of Public Health, provides compelling evidence of a profound discrepancy between actual and officially reported statistics on the health outcomes of American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations in the U.S. The study, novel in its approach, tracks mortality outcomes over time among self-identified AI/AN individuals in a nationally representative cohort known as the Mortality Disparities in American Communities. The researchers linked data from the U.S. Census Bureau's 2008 American Community Survey with official death certificates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Vital Statistics System from 2008 through 2019, and found that the life expectancy of AI/AN populations was 6.5 years lower than the national average. They then compared this to data from the CDC's WONDER database, and found that their numbers were nearly three times greater than the gap reported by the CDC. Indeed, the study found that the life expectancy for AI/AN individuals was just 72.7 years, comparable to that of developing countries. The researchers also uncovered widespread racial misclassification. The study reports that some 41% of AI/AN deaths were incorrectly classified in the CDC WONDER database, predominantly misrecorded as 'White.' These systemic misclassifications drastically skewed official statistics, presenting AI/AN mortality rates as only 5% higher than the national average. When they adjusted the data to account for those misclassifications, the researchers found that the actual rate was 42% higher than initially reported. The issue of racial misclassification 'is not new for us at all,' said Nanette Star, director of policy and planning at the California Consortium for Urban Indian Health. The recent tendency for journalists and politicians to use umbrella terms like 'Indigenous' rather than the more precise 'American Indian and Alaska Native' can obscure the unique needs, histories and political identities of AI/AN communities, Star noted, and contribute to their erasure in both data and public discourse. 'That is the word we use — erasure — and it really does result in that invisibility in our health statistics,' she said. Issues related to racial misclassification in public records persist across the entire life course for AI/AN individuals, from birth to early childhood interventions to chronic disease and death. Star noted that in California, especially in urban regions like Los Angeles, Native individuals are frequently misidentified as Latino or multiracial, which profoundly distorts public health data and masks the extent of health disparities. 'It really does mask the true scale of premature mortality and health disparities among our communities,' Star said. Further, said Star, the lack of accurate data exacerbates health disparities. 'It really is a public health and justice issue,' she said. 'If you don't have those numbers to support the targeted response, you don't get the funding for these interventions or even preventative measures.' According to U.S. Census data, California is home to the largest AI/AN population in the United States. That means it has a unique opportunity to lead the nation in addressing these systemic issues. With numerous federally and state-recognized tribes, as well as substantial urban AI/AN populations, California can prioritize collaborative and accurate public health data collection and reporting. Star noted that current distortions are not always malicious but often stem from a lack of training. She suggested that California implement targeted training programs for those charged with recording this data, including funeral directors, coroners, medical doctors and law enforcement agents; allocate dedicated resources to improve the accuracy of racial classification on vital records; and strengthen partnerships with tribal leaders. The study authors suggest similar approaches, and there are numerous examples of successful cases of Indigenous-led health partnerships seen across Canada and the U.S. that have helped reduce health disparities among AI/AN communities that could be used as a template. These efforts would not only help to move toward rectifying historical inaccuracies, but also ensure that AI/AN communities receive equitable health resources and policy attention. 'When AI/AN people are misclassified in life and in death, it distorts public health data and drives inequities even deeper,' said Star. 'Accurate data isn't just about numbers — it's about honoring lives, holding systems accountable and making sure our communities are seen and served.' This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
