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…

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…

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.…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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. …

A remote First Nation in eastern Manitoba has a new emergency response vehicle to move people in need of medical treatment. People in Poplar River First Nation have previously been transported in the beds of pickup trucks or the backs of SUVs or vans. “It was uncomfortable for the patients…

The Dose21:45What do I need to know about HPV and the HPV vaccine? Gilles Charette first noticed something was going on with his body when he found an anal wart during a shower.  Charette confirmed with a nurse practitioner that he had acquired a human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, and quickly…

A UCP cabinet minister is urging the premier to remove Health Minister Adriana LaGrange from her post while investigations continue into serious allegations a fired Alberta Health Services CEO has made about major health contracts, CBC News has learned. Infrastructure Minister Peter Guthrie sent a memo Thursday to his cabinet…

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. Whether it’s kosher, Himalayan pink or sea salt, Canadians have a wide range of choices…

Health-care workers in Nunavut say changes to a federal funding program for Inuit children are forcing some pregnant women to make a tough choice: have a safe birth or ensure the kids they already have are properly cared for. The Inuit Child First Initiative (ICFI) was launched in 2019 to…

The United States’ pause on foreign aid contributions is having a serious impact on global health, hitting programs fighting polio, HIV and other threats, World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said Wednesday. Tedros urged the U.S. to consider resuming aid funding until solutions can be found. “There are actions that the U.S. government is taking … which…

Two years ago, on a late November morning, Sylvie Hudon woke up shaking like a leaf. The 66-year-old, who is paralyzed from the waist down, was trembling from what she says were the early signs of sepsis. She hadn’t seen it coming. Just the day before, nurses visiting her Quebec City home…

The call to Angela Rasmussen came out of the blue and posed a troubling question. Had she heard the rumour that key data sets would be removed from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s website the next day? It’s something Rasmussen had thought could never happen. “It had never…

The former CEO of Alberta Health Services has filed a $1.7-million wrongful dismissal lawsuit against AHS and the province. Athana Mentzelopoulos claims she was fired because she’d launched an investigation and forensic audit into various contracts and was reassessing deals she had concluded were overpriced with private surgical companies she…

The Halifax Infirmary will be getting a walk-thru metal detector installed this week after recent violent incidents at the hospital raised questions about its security measures. Last month, three health-care workers were attacked in the emergency department; two of them were stabbed. “With increased violence that we’re experiencing, we are taking these…

An acclaimed musician who lives in Halifax is opening up about her struggles in hopes of painting an honest picture of what it’s like to work in the music industry, From the outside, Meaghan Smith has had an enviable career. She’s toured the country, had her songs appear in countless…

Neskantaga First Nation in northwestern Ontario has been under a boil-water advisory for over 30 years — the longest in effect in Canada — and now leaders of the remote Ojibway community are ramping up efforts to get the federal government to pay for a new water treatment plant. “It’s been traumatic for a…

A dairy worker in Nevada who was infected with a new type of bird flu that’s different from the version that has been spreading in U.S. herds since last year has recovered, federal health officials said Monday. The illness was considered mild. The person’s main symptom was eye redness and…

A lawyer representing Horizon Health Network and two of its nurses says a lawsuit filed against them by the family of a man who died waiting for care at the Fredericton hospital’s emergency department in 2022 should be dismissed with costs. Susan Mesheau of Fredericton, executor of the estate of…

A huge swath of northern Ontario between Timmins and Thunder Bay has almost no one trained in obstetrics, forcing women to relocate for the final weeks of pregnancy. CBC’s Nick Purdon went there to find out what it’s like to navigate the ‘maternity ward desert.’

Brent Devloo says his iPad is the reason he was able to graduate high school after he suddenly became blind in the 11th grade.  Now, the Langley resident is fundraising to give iPads to other visually impaired youth.  Devloo was 16 when he lost his vision one day in history…

Alberta’s auditor general has launched an investigation into procurement and contracting processes within the province’s health authority to address “concerns or allegations related to contracting and potential conflicts of interest.” In a statement Thursday, Auditor General Doug Wylie said his probe within the department of health and Alberta Health Services is…

A New Hampshire man fought for the chance at a pig kidney transplant, spending months getting into good enough shape to be part of a small pilot study of a highly experimental treatment. His effort paid off: Tim Andrews, 66, is only the second person known to be living with…

The U.S. winter virus season is in full force, and by one measure is the most intense in 15 years. One indicator of flu activity is the percentage of doctor’s office visits driven by flu-like symptoms. Last week, that number was clearly higher than the peak of any winter flu…

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. With football fans expected to wager billions of dollars on this year’s Super Bowl, experts…

When Trisha Holland’s father applied for a medically-assisted death, she had to decide what — and how much — to share with her three children. Her father, Ronald Watt, had been diagnosed with cancer and chose medical assistance in dying (MAID) after learning his illness was terminal. At the time,…

U.S. dairy cattle tested positive for a strain of bird flu that previously had not been seen in cows, the U.S. Department of Agriculture said on Wednesday, ramping up concerns about the persistent spread of the virus. The H5N1 virus has reduced milk output in cattle, pushed up egg prices…

An Opposition critic is calling for an inquiry into B.C.’s safer supply drug program after it emerged that the province is investigating the diversion of opioids prescribed by doctors and pharmacists. A recent B.C. Ministry of Health document says a “significant portion” of prescribed opioids is being diverted and that prescribed alternatives…

Twenty years ago, Susan O’Sullivan was working full-time with the Ministry of Forests and volunteering as a singer at her local art centre when her voice began to crack.  “There was some crack that started happening in my voice randomly, and I couldn’t understand what it was . . .…

The province sent out a notification on Tuesday warning the public of five confirmed cases of measles in southern Manitoba that are connected to an outbreak in Ontario.  The cases involve five people living in the same household who recently travelled to Ontario, and have since been told to isolate…

New York Gov. Kathy Hochul on Monday signed a bill to shield the identities of doctors who prescribe abortion medications, days after a physician in the state was charged with prescribing abortion pills to a pregnant minor in Louisiana.  The new law, which took effect immediately, allows doctors to request…

This is the first in a two-part series looking at what it takes to deliver emergency care in the central Manitoulin region in Ontario. The family doctor shortage in northeastern Ontario has caused some emergency rooms to close, but what may be less well known to the public is how many…

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is facing its greatest threat since its inception over 60 years ago, as President Donald Trump and his billionaire adviser Elon Musk spent the weekend impugning the agency that has contributed to Washington being the most critical source of foreign assistance around the…

If you’re taking a flight or attending a conference, chances are you’ll get meat on your tray unless you request a vegetarian meal. Photos of meaty steaks and burgers feature prominently on menus and flyers. Even daycares and hospitals typically serve meat-heavy menus. Public health recommendations such as Canada Food’s…

The Dose26:02How can I spot and deal with health and science misinformation? A new survey from the Canadian Medical Association (CMA) shows that health misinformation is on the rise, as more Canadians turn to social media for their news over traditional media organizations.  According to the CMA’s annual health 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. A patient sounds slightly short of breath with a subtle decline in their strength. The…

More than 100 years after his death, Anderson Ruffin Abbott’s visit to the White House and his relationship with President Abraham Lincoln continue to fascinate people. Abbott, a man of notable firsts, is included in Jill L. Newmark’s book Without Concealment, Without Compromise: The Courageous Lives of Black Civil War Surgeons. In addition to…

A flock of B.C. ostriches ordered killed after avian flu was detected on their farm have been granted a stay of execution by a Federal Court judge. In a ruling shared Friday afternoon, Justice Michael Battista said that the Feb. 1 deadline for the birds to be killed should be suspended until…

Canada’s healthcare system increasingly relies on internationally trained professionals but many immigrants complain that becoming licensed to practice here takes months, if not years, even as different levels of government recognize the need to accelerate the accreditation process.  Some new arrivals say they’re falling through the cracks. One of them is Palwasha…

Politics Health Minister Mark Holland says he’s looking forward to signing more pharmacare deals with provinces and territories “in the coming days” — and opposition parties should rethink their plans to bring down the government this spring to allow that to happen. NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said he plans to…

A teenager and the man he saved from a tent engulfed in flames are forming an unlikely friendship. Zeke Fox, 17, dragged Shawn Goodwin to safety on the night of Jan. 5 as a fire destroyed the 53-year-old’s encampment at Bayfront Park in Hamilton.  Since then, Fox has visited Goodwin several times…

Three employees at the Halifax Infirmary hospital were injured by a patient Wednesday, including two who were stabbed, according to sources. Halifax Regional Police were called to the hospital, the region’s largest, around 1 p.m. for a weapons complaint. Police took the patient into custody. An email to staff from…

The confirmation hearings for Robert F. Kennedy Jr., U.S. President Donald Trump’s choice for health secretary, are set before the Senate finance committee on Wednesday morning and the same chamber’s health, education, labour and pension committee on Thursday. If approved, Kennedy will control a $1.7-trillion US agency that oversees food…

On Jan. 28, 2020, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Bonnie Henry held a news conference announcing B.C.’s first confirmed case of COVID-19, setting into motion what would be months of public health restrictions and uncertainty amid the world’s worst pandemic in over a century. Five years later, Henry is reflecting on…

A new study is showing a policy change in 2016 related to the vaccination of some premature babies for RSV in Nova Scotia led to a tenfold increase in the number of infants in that group that were hospitalized with the respiratory virus. The policy was reversed in 2023. Halifax pediatric…

In early 2020, Lili Wu was already “armed to the teeth” whenever she ventured to public places near her home in Port Coquitlam, B.C. — face mask, sanitizer, protective eyewear and gloves. It was more than a month before the World Health Organization’s March declaration of a global pandemic that…

The jury in the Florence Girard coroner’s inquest has returned a unanimous verdict, classifying the death of the 54-year-old woman with Down syndrome as homicide caused by starvation. Homicide is a neutral term for human-caused death that does not imply criminality or intent. The five-person jury also submitted 13 recommendations, including better pay for front-line caregivers,…

Nicotine control groups that have waited years for a nationwide ban on vaping flavours say they’ve now been given indications it won’t happen — despite the minister responsible vowing last fall that the restrictions were coming “soon.” Cynthia Callard, executive director of Physicians for a Smoke-Free Canada, said she and representatives from a…

This First Person column is by Julianna Maggrah, a Cree filmmaker and storyteller based in Prince Albert, Sask. For more information about CBC’s First Person stories, please see the FAQ.  I used to think I was broken. Now, after learning about Indigenous views of autism, I consider myself gifted. I am Cree. My people…

Most days, Lisa Cloutier takes her preschool class outside: exploring the forest nearby or running around the east Toronto school where their daycare is located. “Kids naturally are curious. They’re going to try to climb the bleachers and jump off the top,” said the longtime early childhood educator (ECE), who…

An Ontario court has thrown out a Charter challenge of a long-term care law that allows hospitals to move people into homes they didn’t choose, or charge them $400 a day if they want to go elsewhere. The case — brought forward by the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly (ACE) and the Ontario 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. Those working at the World Health Organization had been expecting the worst — but…

Addressing Ontario’s growing doctor shortage must be a key part of an imminent provincial election, opposition parties say, resisting Premier Doug Ford’s push to frame the vote primarily as a fight against U.S. President Donald Trump and his tariff threats. The Ontario Liberals, New Democrats and Greens all say images coming out…

The union representing workers with the Public Health Agency of Canada says the federal government is not renewing the contracts of over 800 employees, including at least 245 at the National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg.  Shimen Fayad, national president of the Union of Health and Environment Workers, told Radio-Canada in an email the health…

Amy Silva has always recognized the importance of being part of a network of doulas who understand the intricacies of supporting clients during childbirth. The London, Ont., doula’s need for community was reaffirmed last year when she was in court as one of the 17 victims of Kaitlyn Braun, the Brantford woman who pleaded guilty to faking…

British Columbia’s attorney general says the Supreme Court of Canada has certified the province’s class-action lawsuit against opioid manufacturers and distributors. Niki Sharma says B.C. can now proceed as a representative plaintiff on behalf of other Canadian governments with the litigation aimed at recovering the costs of treating opioid-related diseases allegedly…

For the past five weeks, Toronto night nurse Keren Elumir has been handing out clean underwear and electrolyte packets at a safe consumption and overdose prevention site in Moss Park. She’s been seeing more and more people with the telltale signs of a Shigella infection, also known as shigellosis: diarrhea,…

Germany said Tuesday it will try to dissuade U.S. President Donald Trump from pulling out from the World Health Organization as many global health experts fear the move could substantially weaken global health security and set back progress in fighting infectious diseases like AIDS and malaria. “The new U.S. president’s announcement…

Ozempic was first approved to treat diabetes in Canada seven years ago. Now the largest study of its kind suggests it and other medications like it have a host of other potential health benefits beyond obesity, but could also bring increased risk of other conditions. The class of medications called GLP-1…

The Public Health Agency of Canada said nearly 1,600 people may have been infected with salmonella linked to the recall of mini pastries. The federal agency’s director of outbreak management said Monday that calculation is based on the agency’s estimation that for every reported case, there’s another 26.1 in the community. “We…

When Dr. Patrick Hemmons’s daughter Saoirse was born pre-term late last year, he wanted to protect her ahead of the coming respiratory illness season.  Hemmons, who is a family physician practising in northern British Columbia, wanted to get her a dose of nirsevimab, which can protect babies from respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). But…

The Public Health Agency of Canada says 61 cases of salmonella across the country, including 17 that have required hospitalization, have been linked to recalled mini pastries. The agency says the Sweet Cream brand treat has been distributed at bakeries, hotels, restaurants, cafeterias, hospitals and retirement residences, as well as served at catered…

This First Person column is written by Emily Ranft, who lives in Orillia, Ont. For more information about CBC’s First Person stories, please see the FAQ.  It was the day before my scheduled abortion.  My partner was in jail and I was gardening at the community church, trying to do…

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a recall due to a possible salmonella contamination of certain brands of eggs in multiple provinces. The agency says the recall covers Compliments, Foremost, Golden Valley Eggs, IGA, no name and Western Family eggs. The expiry dates for recalled eggs are Feb. 16,…

In April 2017, Glenn Hussey went to The Ottawa Hospital for a regular checkup to monitor his smouldering multiple myeloma — a precursor to the rare blood plasma cancer multiple myeloma. He’d been going every few months for more than a decade. But this time, he remembers his doctor saying: “Everything has changed.” Hussey began cancer treatment…

Many residents of Los Angeles are now waiting to return to what’s left of their homes. But even for those whose houses were spared, health concerns around smoke and ash will linger.

This story is part of Welcome to Canada, a CBC News series about immigration told through the eyes of the people who have experienced it. Ismelda Ramirez says she never expected to swap her white doctor’s coat for a McDonald’s uniform. Despite training as a family doctor in the Dominican Republic, she…

Announcements of job cuts in the health network have multiplied in recent weeks as Quebec tries to eliminate a $1.5 billion deficit in the public health-care system. According to the most recent data from the Health Ministry, the number of employees in the network dropped to 348,353 in mid-December 2024…

The caregiver convicted for her part in the starvation death of Florence Girard says she wouldn’t have gone into home care had she known how little support would be given to her. Astrid Dahl also criticized the home-care organization she worked for when Girard, who had Down syndrome, starved to death…

They started to arrive, and the line began to form, as early as 2 a.m. Despite a steady snowfall and bone-chilling cold, they came to stand outside and wait their turn, hours before the doors opened at 10 a.m.  This wasn’t a queue to purchase Taylor Swift concert tickets at a kiosk in…

Signs at the new Fort St. James hospital, about 160 kilometres northwest of Prince George, welcome visitors in both English and Dakelh. Inside, there is a spiritual gathering space with special ventilation built in to allow for smudging — a cultural ceremony involving burning items such as sweetgrass, spruce bows and…

Major medical groups are proposing a major change to how doctors diagnose obesity. In Tuesday’s issue of The Lancet Diabetes & Endocrinology, 58 international experts across a range of medical specialties and people with lived experience released a report proposing a new definition and diagnostic criteria for clinical obesity. They say…

Los Angeles is already infamous for poor air quality. But the fires scorching the area now are sending up plumes of black smoke that pose threats to human health beyond that of standard wildfires. Wildfire smoke can linger for weeks and travel across a continent. But what sets the L.A. fires apart,…

There are now 234 cases of students with the stomach flu at the University of Guelph in southern Ontario, and at least one of those is a lab-confirmed case of norovirus. Wellington-Dufferin-Guelph Public Health confirmed the number of cases Monday afternoon. The regional health unit said unless there was a significant…

Advocates with sight loss and people in the medical field in Halifax have been working on a number of initiatives to improve the delivery of health care for people who are blind or partially sighted.  Dalhousie University medical student Tyler Herod, who has helped lead some of the efforts, said focus groups have identified a number of barriers…

White Coat Black Art26:30Virtual doctors for real ERs Dr. Michael Ertel starts his emergency department shift at about 8 p.m., after making himself a cup of coffee and saying goodnight to his golden retriever, Norman. But he’s not going to the hospital. “Time to head down into the bunker,” he…

The Current27:00How to help a loved one drink less It’s a new year, and some Canadians are embarking on Dry January, following a holiday season replete with toasts and tipples. But author and journalist Maureen Palmer and her partner Mike Pond believe the ways we think about problem drinking could do more…

Ayah Fahmy recalls parking in a mostly empty lot at the Cobequid Community Health Centre in Lower Sackville and not understanding why she had to pay a fee. “It was an emergency situation, so I needed to be at the hospital,” she said. On Thursday, Fahmy took the bus to…

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. Headlines warning people to throw out their black plastic kitchen utensils live on, as do…

The Saskatchewan government has agreed to a $40 million deal with Ottawa to improve access to medication for rare diseases. The federal government is also looking for the province’s participation in a national plan to improve screening and diagnostics for rare diseases. Saskatchewan Health Minister Jeremy Cockrill spoke alongside his federal counterpart at…

Some Canadians are celebrating a major autism organization’s decision to pull out of the country, highlighting a shift in the way people think about autism.  Autism Speaks quietly announced last month that it will end its Canadian operations on Jan. 31. “The intentional decision to conclude was not taken lightly and has…

The reported number of University of Guelph students with gastroenteritis — a viral infection commonly known as stomach flu — has grown to over 150, and public health officials are expecting many more cases. The southern Ontario school confirmed on Wednesday that some students living in residence started to report symptoms…

Rising cases of common respiratory illnesses in China and elsewhere around the Northern Hemisphere are within the range expected for winter, with no unusual outbreaks reported, the World Health Organization said. Reports of a surge of cases in China of human metapneumovirus (hMPV), a common respiratory infection, have drawn headlines…

The University of Guelph has identified a cluster of students living in residence who are experiencing the abdominal illness gastroenteritis. The first cases were reported Monday. As of Wednesday afternoon, about 60 people have self-identified as being sick with the virus, the university told CBC News in an email. According…

WARNING: This article references sexual assault and suicidal ideation, and may affect those who have experienced​ them or know someone affected by them. A few months after Kaitlyn Braun was sentenced to house arrest for faking pregnancies  and fraudulently receiving the services of numerous doulas, she picked up the phone and…

A day after CBC revealed that a self-styled Vancouver Island “childbirth activist” was under police investigation, a manslaughter charge has been sworn against Gloria Lemay in relation to the death of a newborn last January. The charge against the 77-year-old comes almost one year to the day after the alleged victim died…

Health The U.S. Food and Drug Administration proposed new guidance for devices used to monitor blood oxygen levels to improve their accuracy and performance across a range of skin tones. FDA says recommendations address accuracy concerns of medical devices affected by factors like skin tone Thomson Reuters · Posted: Jan…

The Louisiana Department of Health said on Monday that a U.S. patient hospitalized with H5N1 bird flu has died, the country’s first death from an outbreak of the virus that has sickened dozens of people and millions of poultry and cattle. Nearly 70 people in the U.S. have contracted bird flu…

New research shows the rate of myopia among children and teens worldwide has tripled over the past three decades, with a particularly steep increase noted since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.  A paper in the British Journal of Ophthalmology, which reviewed 276 studies published to June 2023 from around…

Good news for Ontario’s strained health-care system: a new medical school is set to open in the GTA this year. Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU) is poised to open its new medical school in Brampton, Ont., in September. The first class will include 94 undergraduates and 105 postgraduates (also known as residents).…

New Transport Canada regulations allow for the skies to open up for more complex drone operations that could be especially beneficial to remote communities.

It is a priority for CBC to create products that are accessible to all in Canada including people with visual, hearing, motor and cognitive challenges. Closed Captioning and Described Video is available for many CBC shows offered on CBC Gem. About CBC Accessibility Accessibility Feedback

Halton Healthcare and Conservation Halton announced in early December they were partnering with a B.C.-based foundation to offer nature prescriptions to patients for free access to the local conservation areas. They became the latest addition to the program, which has been available in other parts of Canada since 2020.  But how does it work?…

Alcoholic drinks should carry a label warning consumers about their cancer risks, the U.S. surgeon general said in an advisory on Friday, noting that their consumption increases the risk of developing breast, colon, liver and other cancers. U.S. Surgeon General Vivek Murthy also called for the guidelines on alcohol consumption…

A letter sent to the editor of The New England Journal of Medicine signed by Canadian health officials says the British Columbia teenager who tested positive for avian flu has been taken off supplemental oxygen and is no longer infectious.  The letter, which was published Tuesday and provides a summary and…

​It’s the first week of January and the word “detox” is probably trending again. It has, like clockwork, for the past five years. From juices and supplements to foot baths and diet regimens, detox products become more popular this time of year. But what do these treatments and programs actually…

Steve Guimond may not have grown up in Quebec City, but 10 years after his move from Montreal, he knows his routes around the city much like a local taxi driver. Cranking up the heat in the car he uses as his office on a late November morning, Guimond rolls…

What a year 2024 was for parents. What a … time. Sure, there were some positive moments in the world of parenting news that had us cheering. Bluey made us weep happy tears. The U.S. surgeon general’s warning about parental stress helped many of us feel less alone. Roblox added more parental controls. Hooray! But…

On Dec. 31, 2019, the World Health Organization first learned about what ended up becoming the worst pandemic in over a century. That day, WHO’s office in China picked up a media statement by the Wuhan Municipal Health Commission from their website on cases of what it called “viral pneumonia.”…

For Katelynn Hawes and Quentin Brunelle, it should have been their baby’s first Christmas celebration at home with her big brother.  Instead, the family has spent much of the holidays in hospitals as their nearly three-month-old daughter Evalynn battles a case of bacterial meningitis — one they say should have…

This First Person column is written by Elizabeth Barnes, who runs an education centre in Ottawa. For more information about CBC’s First Person stories, please see the FAQ. Five years and nine months after my breast cancer diagnosis, I received a phone call from my physician’s office reporting a slightly abnormal result of a routine blood test.…

The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) on Monday called for an end to attacks on hospitals in Gaza after Israel struck one and raided another in the past few days. “Hospitals in Gaza have once again become battlegrounds and the health system is under severe threat,” said WHO…

Toronto Public Health (TPH) is warning that travellers may have been exposed to measles on Dec. 8 on a flight from Dubai and while travelling through Toronto Pearson International Airport.  In a news release Friday, the health agency said it’s investigating a case of measles with a recent history of international…

A new clinic opening early next year on British Columbia’s Vancouver Island has a different structure it hopes will help attract and retain family doctors amid an ongoing physician shortage.  The Colwood Medical Clinic will be run not as a private practice, as is normally the case, but by the Greater Victoria…

The Signal organized a full discussion about men and mental health. Taking part were, from left, Brent Beshara, military veteran and health and wellness advocate; Jody Williams, mindset coach; Audrey Wade, mental health advocate and parent; and Bill Jeffery, counsellor at Lonely Man Project. (Arlette Lazarenko/CBC) Jody Williams spent three…

This First Person column is written by Samuel Dunsiger, a career coach and accessibility advocate in Ottawa. For more information about CBC’s First Person stories, please see the FAQ. As I browsed through the cereal aisle. I felt myself getting light-headed. The room was spinning and I reached out to put…

If you’re in Halton, Ont., your doctor can now prescribe that you touch some grass. Conservation Halton has partnered with Halton Healthcare and PaRx to offer up to 10 free visits to conservation areas in the region when receiving a prescription for nature. “Anything that we can do to help people…

The Trexo walker, a Canadian-made exoskeleton, is helping some children living with mobility issues take their first steps. But the high cost of the cutting-edge technology is keeping it out of reach for many families.

Northwest Naturals, a Portland, Ore.-based pet food company, is recalling a batch of its two pound (one kilogram) Feline Turkey Recipe raw frozen pet food, after a cat that died of H5N1 avian influenza was linked to the product. The recalled pet food was sold in British Columbia and several American states including Oregon, Washington…

For many, the holiday season means tucking into big meals with friends and family who gather to celebrate. But once the dinner ends, attention turns to packing away leftovers. Every year, one in eight Canadians — about four million — are affected by a food-borne illness. Of these, there are 11,600 hospitalizations and…

Over the past month in Ontario, officers with three different police agencies were taken to hospital following exposure to fentanyl — but research suggests exposure to the drug carries little danger, and some advocates warn misconceptions about the risk can have their own harmful consequences. On Sunday, police in Durham Region said an officer was taken to hospital…

Even after 23 years, Kelly Edwards stills loves being a paramedic. “It’s very unpredictable. It’s exciting,” she said. “You meet a lot of nice people.” But she admits there’s a much darker side to the job, too. Edwards recalls a time she and her partner were treating an agitated patient. That…

With criminal networks shifting to domestic production of fentanyl and other opioids, the focus of law enforcement at Canada’s borders has now shifted to the chemicals used to make the deadly drugs. The Public Health Agency of Canada estimates that more than 47,000 Canadians have died of toxic drug overdoses…

Premier Susan Holt says her government would be willing to ban the herbicide glyphosate if a new investigation finds a link to the purported mystery brain illness that a Moncton neurologist says he is tracking. The province has launched a new investigation into the hundreds of cases, saying the symptoms…

Public health officials say a cluster of measles cases in Ontario linked to an exposure in New Brunswick has grown to 37. Public Health Ontario says 11 of those cases are confirmed and 26 are probable. In an epidemiological summary released last week, the public health agency says the cases…

The family of a seven-year-old boy from Deer Lake First Nation who was denied medical transportation coverage because he didn’t yet have an Indian status card is calling for changes to Ottawa’s Non-Insured Health Benefits (NIHB) program. Jordan Harper was seriously injured, and his grandmother died, in January in a head-on collision with another…

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has issued a recall due to possible norovirus contamination of certain oysters distributed in British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario. The agency says the recall covers certain Fanny Bay, Sunseeker and Cloudy Bay oysters under the Taylor Shellfish Canada brand. The recall says most of the…

Serial nurse impersonator Brigitte Cleroux was sentenced to seven years in prison for a long list of crimes committed in B.C. between 2019 and 2021, including impersonation, forgery, fraud, theft, assault and assault with a weapon. Cleroux, 52, used stolen and forged documents to get work as a dental assistant…

For Whitehorse resident Charlie-Rose Pelletier, insomnia is something she’s dealt with on a regular basis for the last two decades — but she says it became worse after she moved to the Yukon from Quebec a few years ago.  “Sleeping for seven hours straight, for more than two nights in a row … what a…

Firefighters in Saskatchewan have been lobbying for decades for better cancer coverage. Now, the Saskatchewan Workers Compensation Board (WCB) is stepping in to provide some relief. Saskatchewan firefighters are now eligible for WCB coverage for up to 22 types of cancer, six more than before. Tyler Packham has spent the last 23…

The British Columbia Civil Liberties Association is calling on the provincial and federal governments to review medically-assisted dying legislation to ensure proper safeguards are in place. The association’s executive director, Liza Hughes, says in a statement that it’s aware of “concerning reports” of people being offered MAID in circumstances that may not legally qualify…

California officials have declared a state of emergency over the spread of bird flu, where infections in dairy cows are increasing and causing sporadic illnesses in people in the U.S.  That raises new questions about the virus, which has spread for years in wild birds, commercial poultry and many mammal species. …

Alberta Health Services (AHS) has issued a warning to Calgarians that a person with lab-confirmed measles was in public settings in the city while contagious. Residents who were in the same locations as the infected individual between Dec. 11 and Dec. 17 may have been exposed, AHS says. The locations and…

The family of a B.C. man with bipolar disorder and chronic back pain is suing the federal and provincial governments after he allegedly used a day pass from hospital to end his life with medical assistance. In a lawsuit filed in B.C. Supreme Court, the man’s family claims the 52-year-old — known…

The U.S. reported its first severe human case of bird flu on Wednesday in a Louisiana resident who is hospitalized in critical condition, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said. Agency officials didn’t immediately detail the person’s symptoms, but the Louisiana Department of Health said the patient is suffering severe respiratory…

A recruitment drive to deal with Manitoba’s doctor shortage is taking aim at physicians in the United States who might be concerned about Donald Trump’s incoming presidency. Doctors Manitoba says it has placed ads in several U.S. states, particularly those where governments have targeted issues like abortion or gender-affirming care. The headline…

Democratic Republic of Congo’s health ministry said on Tuesday that a previously unidentified disease circulating in the southwestern Kwango province is a severe form of malaria. Earlier this month, local authorities said the disease had killed 143 people in the country’s Panzi health zone in November. The symptoms of the…

4 days ago News Duration 3:44 Caring for aging parents can be challenging, especially when health issues like dementia come into play. Blue Sky host Leisha Grebinski spoke with Laura Tamblyn Watts and Connie Snider on how to navigate this journey. Watts is the president and CEO of CanAge and…

When Joy Akinkunmi signed up for a science fair two years ago, she had no idea that something she was seeing at home would serve as the inspiration for her project. Akinkunmi, now 15, saw how difficult it was for a family member with Lewy body dementia to take their…

In over 30 years of practice, Dr. Errol Billinkoff rarely saw a man without kids come into his Winnipeg clinic to get a vasectomy. But since the pandemic began, he says it’s become an almost daily occurrence.   And he’s not alone. “At first, I thought I was the only one…

A proposed deal that would see three tobacco giants pay out billions to provinces and territories, as well as smokers across Canada, has been approved by the companies’ creditors, a lawyer representing some of the creditors says, calling it an important milestone in a lengthy legal saga. The proposed $32.5-billion…

This First Person column is written by Jordan Kawchuk, who lives in Duncan, B.C. For more information about First Person stories, see the FAQ. I currently live with 20 other men.  At 52, I never imagined having to explain a roommate, let alone 24 of them — half of whom…

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. The rapid-fire spread of bird flu, an evolving toxic drug supply and the political response…

The Current27:10How a widow found out about her husband’s dark secrets When Jessica Waite’s husband, Sean, suddenly passed away from a heart attack in 2015 while on a business trip to Houston, she was left in shock.  But the Calgary writer’s life would take another heartbreaking turn.  The day after…

Caregivers are widely criticizing the scaling back of Quebec’s home-care services, which support vulnerable people in accomplishing daily tasks. As part of the service employment paycheque program, the government helps pay for caregivers outside the health network to provide home-care services. About 22,000 Quebecers used the program last year. While…

ELNA Medical Group, a Montreal-based company that bills itself as Canada’s largest network of medical clinics, has entered creditor protection. The application was granted in Quebec Superior Court. ELNA also received court approval to solicit interest in a potential sale. ELNA’s network includes family medicine and specialty clinics, as well as diagnostic laboratories. The clinics…

More than 15,000 people received medical assistance in dying in Canada in 2023, but federal statistics show the growth in cases has slowed significantly. Health Canada said in its fifth annual report on MAID released Wednesday that the 15,343 people who received help to die last year represented a 15.8…

Most positive tests for RSV so far this season in Canada have been among the youngest, federal data says. And while Health Canada has approved an immunization that can protect all babies from the illness, it’s only available in a few jurisdictions.  For the week ending Nov. 30, about 51…

The Ontario government has had six years to follow through on dozens of recommendations from a coroner’s inquest to prevent inmates from dying of drug overdoses at the Hamilton-Wentworth Detention Centre.  But close to half of the recommendations haven’t been put into force, the jury in a current inquest heard during closing…

When it comes to human experiments, it’ll be tough to find a more chill way to advance scientific knowledge. Starting in early 2025, the Driving Research and Simulation Laboratory at the University of Saskatchewan will run a study using a state-of-the-art driver simulator to test how high people get after…

The Current23:56What teens really think about social media Navigating the challenges of growing up — fitting in, self-image, relationships — can be tough, and filmmaker Lauren Greenfield captures what it’s like for today’s teens in a new documentary series, Social Studies.  The project was inspired by Greenfield’s own experience as a…

When nurse Zoila Guipit does her rounds treating inmates at the Hamilton-Wentworth Detention Centre, she often hears they want to continue their care on the outside, but don’t know where to start. Guipit testified Monday at the inquest into the drug-related deaths of six inmates between 2017 and 2021. She was the last witness called at the weeks-long…

The Union of B.C. Indian Chiefs (UBCIC) will not have access to the medical records of Indigenous patients it says were harmed by provincial health providers’ liver transplant policies, the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal has ruled. In an ongoing human rights complaint, the UBCIC alleges the process to determine who…

During her cancer treatment, Vanessa Percoco felt forced to choose between paying to feel better or making rent. Percoco, 33, of Laval, Que., worked in special education and had just started on a short contract working with some Grade 3 students with special needs. A diagnosis of advanced colorectal cancer in 2022 put those plans…

A self-described Vancouver Island “childbirth activist” prohibited from serving as a midwife is facing a lawsuit from the parents of a child who was allegedly injured during a botched home birth. Gloria Lemay has been banned for more than two decades from performing midwifery services — but according to a B.C. Supreme…

While there’s been a 35 per cent jump in human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases across Canada, the numbers have stabilized in northwestern Ontario — and health-care workers largely attribute it to harm reduction services available in the region. The incident rate in the Thunder Bay District Health Unit’s (TBDHU) catchment area was…

White Coat Black Art26:30The power of AI to diagnose rare diseases If it hadn’t been for a Google search 10 years ago, Ian Stedman may never have discovered he had a rare disease and, most importantly, wouldn’t have known how to treat it. Now he hopes the growing development of artificial…

The Dose24:15What’s the risk of drinking raw milk? Despite the warnings of experts, there are growing conversations around the supposed benefits of raw milk. Raw milk, also known as unpasteurized milk, is milk that has not undergone the pasteurization heating process that eliminates harmful microorganisms like bacteria and viruses. Public…

Laura O’Byrne chokes back tears as she recalls walking the woodsy trails of Nova Scotia’s South Shore with her two mastiffs just over a year ago, having finally realized her dream of retiring by the ocean. But now, the 58-year-old spends most days lying down with excruciating pelvic pain in…

Public health officials in Africa urged caution Thursday as Congo’s health minister said the government was on alert over a flu-like disease that in recent weeks killed dozens of people. Jean Kaseya, the head of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told reporters that more details about the…

Women with disabilities are more likely to be forced into homelessness because of violence or abuse, according to a new report that looks at housing inequities in Canada. Sixty-three per cent of women with disabilities who experienced homelessness said it was because of violence, compared with 54 per cent of…

When Sandra Commerford asked for a raise from a St. Catharines, Ont., hospital in 1998, the registered practical nurse (RPN) was confident she had a strong, open and shut case. Commerford and upwards of 100 other RPNs had started administering medication to patients — a new responsibility that required months of additional training, transformed…

A measles outbreak in New Brunswick and a surge of cases across Canada has renewed calls for a national vaccination registry. New Brunswick has 50 confirmed cases of the highly infectious respiratory disease, as of Wednesday — all in health Zone 3, which includes Fredericton and parts of the Upper St. John River…

Canada has seen many high-profile food recalls this year — from sweet kale chopped-salad kits to plant-based milks — and even some Listeria cases. Why does it seem like there have been so many recalls recently? Here’s what you need to know. What’s been happening? Over the summer, in what…

The U.S. government said Tuesday it has closed its investigation into an E. coli outbreak tied to McDonald’s Quarter Pounder hamburgers after determining there is no longer a safety risk. The outbreak, which began in late October, sickened at least 104 people in 14 states, including 34 who were hospitalized,…

All Paul Ziman wants for Christmas is to be reunited with his mother, after nearly a year of not being allowed to visit her in a long-term care (LTC) home. In September 2023, after a meeting at The Village at St. Clair in Windsor, Ziman was banned from the home through the Ontario Trespass to…

The Current20:16This B.C. mom hired a PI to follow her teen’s drug dealer At the height of her daughter’s addiction, Julie Nystrom says she started envisioning what life would be like without her child. She says her daughter, then 17, was hooked on street Xanax and taking up to eight…

A woman from northern Manitoba with no criminal charges spent a month in jail after public health officials ordered her detained to treat her tuberculosis, even though she wasn’t infectious at the time. Geraldine Mason, 36, was arrested under the Public Health Act on Oct. 27 and initially ordered to spend…

Fewer people are being diagnosed with and dying of HIV/AIDS around the world. But progress is uneven, and only a few countries are on track to meet global targets set by the United Nations to end HIV as a public health threat by 2030, suggests a new study from The…

President-elect Donald Trump this week cited drugs as a reason for his threat of crushing U.S. tariffs on Canadian imports. “This Tariff will remain in effect until such time as Drugs, in particular Fentanyl, and all Illegal Aliens stop this Invasion of our Country!” Trump wrote on his social media…

There is no grocery store, post office or doctor’s office in remote Fitzgerald, Alta. The northern community is more than 700 kilometres northeast of Edmonton on the Slave River, near Wood Buffalo National Park. The only year-round road out of Fitzgerald links it to the Northwest Territories. The closest town with…

The Dose21:05How does black plastic affect my health? Certain products made from black plastic — like the kind found in takeout containers, coffee lids and even kitchen utensils — is coming under fire by experts because of a recent study that found a lack of regulation around recycling is causing…

Canadian officials say SunFed Produce brand whole, fresh, American cucumbers have been recalled due to potential salmonella contamination. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) said Thursday SunFed is recalling all sizes of the cucumbers packaged in bulk cardboard containers with the SunFed label or in a generic white box or black plastic crate…

Canadian officials say an additional organic carrot product is under recall due to possible E. coli O121 contamination.  Grimmway Farms recalled various organic whole bagged carrots and baby carrots in multiple sizes and brands that were shipped directly to retail distribution centres in the U.S., Canada and Puerto Rico. The…

More than three million Ontarians could be at risk of losing their family doctor to retirement with thousands of family physicians over the age of 60, the provincial Liberals say. According to an October government report that tracks physician and patient counts across the province, there are around 2,300 family…

Esther Rantzen says she doesn’t have the strength to fly to Canada to seek lasting relief from her ever-advancing cancer, but she would if she could. “I love Canada, but I think I will go to Switzerland and seek an assisted death if the illness starts to progress faster,” Rantzen,…

Health Canada has approved Novo Nordisk’s weight-loss drug Wegovy to reduce the risk of non-fatal heart attack, the drug maker says. Novo Nordisk said Wednesday that Wegovy is the first Health Canada-approved treatment for both chronic weight management and to reduce the risk of non-fatal myocardial infarction. The treatment reduces the risk of such…

Warning: This story contains references to intimate partner violence. Billie Jo Barrett says it’s hard talking about her experiences with domestic violence, but it’s more difficult knowing other survivors have had their court cases stayed due to challenges in the justice system. That’s part of the reason Barrett, who lives in Thunder Bay with her…

B.C. health officials say they still don’t know how a teenager became infected with the H5N1 strain of avian flu but say no further cases have been identified. Earlier this month, health officials announced they were investigating what was believed to be the first human case of H5N1 avian influenza…

A long-withheld investigation into a 2019 hacking at LifeLabs Inc. that compromised millions of Canadians’ health data has finally been made public after an Ontario court dismissed the company’s appeal to prevent its release. A statement from the privacy commissioners of both Ontario and British Columbia says their joint report,…

Ontario failed to meet its own legislated target this past year for the average number of hands-on hours of care that long-term care residents receive, a newly updated document shows. The province says it has since reached its goal for the 2023-24 fiscal year, but that happened outside of the…

Manitoba has detected the first confirmed case of a recently identified lineage of mpox in Canada.  The province said Friday it has identified the first confirmed case of clade Ib mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, in the province. The Public Health Agency of Canada later confirmed it is the first case of clade I mpox in Canada. There are…

Windsor’s illegal magic mushroom store, Fun Guyz, is one of more than 30 across the province closing for good.  A spokesperson for Fun Guyz told CBC Windsor the shop on Ouellette Avenue will shutter its doors Monday.  It’s been raided about a half a dozen times by Windsor police, and employees at…

WARNING: This article may affect those who have experienced​ ​​​sexual violence or know someone affected by it. Ideas53:59Child Sex Abuse Prevention: How Best to Protect Kids Cat Bodden, who was sexually abused by a family member as a child, never imagined she would work with convicted sex offenders. But that’s what she’s done…

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. Will Stymiest, a family physician in Fredericton, noticed a big change in a fellow…

White Coat Black Art26:30$150 for 15 minutes, part 1 Audrey Leveillé’s four-month-old son, William, had been sick for about a week, running a fever on and off.  Worried, the mom of two wanted to rule out infection, but couldn’t face the prospect of an hours-long wait in a hospital emergency…

Health officials on Friday confirmed bird flu in a California child — the first reported case in a U.S. minor. The child had mild symptoms, was treated with antiviral medication, and is recovering, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said in announcing the test results. State officials have…

It’s lunchtime in the Parker home in Richmond, B.C. But before eight-year-old Lucas can be fed, his dad checks the boy’s blood sugar levels. Nathan Parker figures out the dosages for his son’s medications and fills a small plastic bag with liquid nutrition that will be delivered through a feeding…

A measles outbreak in New Brunswick is set to push Canada’s annual case count to the highest it’s been in five years, highlighting how infectious the disease is and how low vaccination rates have allowed it to take hold, says an immunologist. Forty-four cases have now been confirmed in the province, all in health Zone 3,…

The toxic drug crisis has taken more than 47,000 lives in Canada since 2016 and the synthetic opioid fentanyl has become a household name. But now, what’s believed to be an even more potent class of synthetic drugs is showing up in drug busts across the country: nitazenes. RCMP in…

A recent inspection of a Tom’s of Maine facility found that the company’s toothpaste was made using bacteria-tained water, among other serious health violations, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. In a warning letter to CEO Noel Wallace, the FDA said the inspection uncovered disease-causing bacteria in water used…

A First Nation in northwestern Ontario had declared a state of emergency over escalating safety concerns around gang activity. On Tuesday, leaders from Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg First Nation – also known as Pic Mobert First Nation – held a press conference at Queen’s Park to demand more support for what they’re…

About 2.5 million people — nearly the populations of Manitoba and Saskatchewan combined — aren’t getting adequate care for their mental health, according to a new report. The Canadian Mental Health Association (CMHA), which released the report on Tuesday, called it a map of the landscape of mental health, addictions…

One person has died in an E. coli outbreak that has sickened dozens of people who ate organic carrots that were sold in Canada and the U.S., according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said at least 39 people were ill with…

The Abdirahman Abdi inquest is being livestreamed during the day here. The first day of a coroner’s inquest into the death of a Black man who died in 2016 after a violent altercation with Ottawa police began Monday with a rare glimpse into his life before coming to Ottawa, and his mental health struggles…

This First Person article is written by Dr. Sarah Giles, who works in Kenora, Ont. For more information about CBC’s First Person stories, please see the FAQ. I’m a rural emergency room doctor — and I feel the need to publicly apologize.  I’m sorry that many of you are often…

54:10Is being a perfectionist always bad? Does it take you an hour to write an email that should only take five minutes? Do you put off starting work because you’re worried it won’t end up being good enough? If the answer to either of these questions is yes, then you may…

The Current24:55Online gambling like a racetrack in my pocket 24/7, says recovering addict Adam Pettle recognized he had a gambling problem as a teenager when he began to hide his behaviour. Pettle felt powerless to stop and struggled with his mental health. Eventually, the debts he accumulated led him to sell…

The discovery of 27 cases of scurvy in a northern Saskatchewan community is raising concerns about grocery prices and access to fresh food as income inequality worsens. Earlier this year, a doctor in La Ronge had a hunch that a patient was suffering from scurvy, a disease caused by vitamin…

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. Canadian cancer researchers are part of global efforts to test targeted alpha therapy, a new…

The Baycrest Koschitzky Centre is launching a free online resource tool it says will help caregivers facing “significant and escalating challenges,” such as isolation, burnout and financial hardship. The Canadian Caregiver Assessment and Resource Tool (C-CART) will give people providing care to someone with disability, illness, or frailty access to resources…

A teenager diagnosed with bird flu in British Columbia is the first domestically acquired human case of H5N1 avian influenza, the Public Health Agency of Canada says.  Since Influenza A or flu viruses are named after the animal where they are most commonly found, avian viruses are naturally found in birds.…

More than 800 million adults have diabetes worldwide — almost twice as many as previous estimates suggested — and more than half of those aged over 30 who have the condition are not receiving treatment, according to a new study. The study published in The Lancet found the global prevalence of diabetes…

Dozens of researchers across Canada, including renowned environmentalist David Suzuki, have joined a growing chorus of voices urging the federal government to halt the importation of an endangered monkey species for medical research in Quebec. A letter signed by 80 scientists, academics, doctors and students says testing on long-tailed macaques…

Carolyn Law didn’t think much of it when a snow goose landed in her Richmond, B.C., backyard, on Halloween.  But hours later it had barely moved. Then it started bobbing its head repeatedly. About eight hours after she first saw the bird, it rolled over, began convulsing and died. “It was…