April 2009 - Posts

• Forty-Seven Visit Assessment Clinic

  NOTE: The following release is being distributed on behalf of the Capital District Health Authority. Forty-seven people visited the influenza assessment clinic at Hants Community Hospital from noon Wednesday, April 29 to noon today, April 30. Read More... Posted Apr 30 2009, 03:38 PM by Government of Nova Scotia News Releases - Health

• Province to Build New Seniors' Homes

  Residents of Cumberland County and the South Shore will benefit from seniors' homes that will be built in their communities. Read More... Posted Apr 30 2009, 03:16 PM by Government of Nova Scotia News Releases - Health

• Boost warnings on Botox, FDA says

  Using Botox and similar drugs for unapproved uses such as treating muscle spasms carries potentially deadly risks, health officials in the U.S. warned doctors and patients on Thursday. Read More... Posted Apr 30 2009, 02:55 PM by CBC | Health News

• Scientists starting to believe swine flu outbreak won't be so bad

  Researchers are rushing to understand the H1N1 swine flu virus and its future impact, and despite the growing number of infections globally, the World Health Organization says the situation hasn't changed fundamentally since it increased its alert... Posted Apr 30 2009, 02:43 PM by CBC | Health News

• Routine use of anemia drugs in cancer patients risky: reviews

  Drugs that help boost production of red blood cells in people with cancer and anemia increase the risk of death and serious side-effects such as blood clots, researchers said. Read More... Posted Apr 30 2009, 02:39 PM by CBC | Health News

• Mise à jour sur la grippe porcine chez l'être humain, le 30 avril

  REMARQUE : Une version « médias sociaux » de ce communiqué de presse, accompagnée de photos, d'audioclips et de vidéoclips, sera disponible plus tard aujourd'*** 30 avril (en anglais seulement) sur le site www.gov.ns.ca/news/smr/20090430010HPP... Posted Apr 30 2009, 02:13 PM by Government of Nova Scotia News Releases - Health

• Human Swine Influenza Update, April 30

  NOTE: A social media version of this release with photographs, video and audio clips will be available later today, April 30, at www.gov.ns.ca/news/smr/20090430010HPP.asp . As of today, April 30, four new confirmed cases of human swine influenza have... Posted Apr 30 2009, 02:10 PM by Government of Nova Scotia News Releases - Health

• Can't curb your enthusiasm for food? Blame the brain

  Next time you give in to that craving for a chocolate bar as your energy levels take a mid-afternoon dip, you could be justified in saying that your brain made you do it. A new study published in the May 1 issue of the journal Science concluded there... Posted Apr 30 2009, 11:53 AM by CBC | Health News

• N.B. Health Council raises concerns over government decisions

  The independent New Brunswick Health Council is concerned about the way decisions are made for the province's health care system. Read More... Posted Apr 30 2009, 11:28 AM by CBC | Health News

• Working while sick could catch up with you later: study

  Staff who repeatedly drag themselves into work when sick are much more likely to take long-term sick leave, Danish researchers say. Read More... Posted Apr 30 2009, 10:29 AM by CBC | Health News

• Part-time paramedics required to handle demand in Winnipeg

  The City of Winnipeg is relying on part-time paramedics for the first time in its history to handle an increased demand from an aging population. Read More... Posted Apr 30 2009, 05:41 AM by CBC | Health News

• Inspection report of Maple Leaf meat plant not altered: food agency

  The Canadian Food Inspection Agency has denied altering a report that questions whether Maple Leaf Foods cleaned all of its equipment at a Toronto meat processing plant six months before last summer's deadly listeriosis outbreak. Read More... Posted Apr 30 2009, 05:38 AM by CBC | Health News

• Treatment groups slam N.L. for youth clinic location

  Groups that serve people with addictions say the Newfoundland and Labrador government is putting politics before patients, by locating a youth treatment centre in central Newfoundland. Read More... Posted Apr 30 2009, 05:19 AM by CBC | Health News

• 7 swine flu cases confirmed in Ontario

  Public health officials in Ontario are now reporting seven confirmed cases of swine flu. Read More... Posted Apr 30 2009, 04:52 AM by CBC | Health News

• EU works to co-ordinate surveillance, testing for swine flu

  European Union health ministers will meet on Thursday to co-ordinate efforts to prevent the spread of swine flu as the number of cases continues to grow on the continent. Read More... Posted Apr 30 2009, 02:07 AM by CBC | Health News

• N.B. nurses question role of proposed physician assistants

  The New Brunswick Nurses Union is questioning what the future will hold for nurse practitioners as the Department of Health pushes forward with the concept of physician assistants. Read More... Posted Apr 30 2009, 01:34 AM by CBC | Health News

• Mise à jour sur la grippe porcine chez l'être humain, le 29 avril

  NOTE À L'INTENTION DES JOURNALISTES : Une ligne médias a été établie et sera vérifiée quotidiennement, y compris les fins de semaine, de 8 h à 20 h. Nous pourrons ainsi mieux gérer les appels et répondre plus rapidement aux médias. Le numéro est 902... Posted Apr 29 2009, 03:57 PM by Government of Nova Scotia News Releases - Health

• Human Swine Influenza Update, April 29

  NOTE TO EDITORS: A media line has been established and will be monitored daily, including weekends, from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. This will help to better manage calls and expedite our response to media. The number is 902-424-0499. As of today, April 29, no new... Posted Apr 29 2009, 03:54 PM by Government of Nova Scotia News Releases - Health

• Clinic replaces sterilization fee with new patient charge

  A Calgary medical clinic will no longer be charging patients for sterilizing instruments, but will be introducing a 'tray fee' instead, says the centre's owner. Read More... Posted Apr 29 2009, 03:45 PM by CBC | Health News

• MRIs showing breast density offer clues to cancer risk in young women

  The density of a young woman's breasts measured through MRI tests might provide information on her relative risk of getting breast cancer later in life and can do so with similar accuracy as mammograms, researchers in Toronto say. Read More... Posted Apr 29 2009, 03:20 PM by CBC | Health News

• Human-to-human spread of swine flu confirmed in B.C.

  Three new cases of swine flu have been diagnosed in British Columbia, including the first case the province has seen of a person contracting the virus from another person, health officials confirmed Wednesday. Read More... Posted Apr 29 2009, 01:46 PM by CBC | Health News

• Vigilance, containing threats best ways to prepare for pandemic: specialist

  Vigilance and preparation are the best ways for the public to respond to the World Health Organization's higher pandemic alert level, an infectious disease specialist says. Read More... Posted Apr 29 2009, 01:44 PM by CBC | Health News

• 3 more swine flu cases confirmed in Ontario

  Three more cases of swine flu have been confirmed in the province, all in the Toronto area, health officials in Ontario announced Wednesday. Read More... Posted Apr 29 2009, 12:34 PM by CBC | Health News

• 3 strikes needed to kill brain cells in Parkinson's disease: study

  It may take a combination of three molecules to kill brain cells in Parkinson's disease, researchers say. Read More... Posted Apr 29 2009, 12:15 PM by CBC | Health News

• How it's unfolding: a timeline

  A summary of how the swine flu outbreak unfolded in its early days. Read More... Posted Apr 29 2009, 12:11 PM by CBC | Health News

• Computer software part of Winnipeg paramedics' arsenal against swine flu

  Winnipeg's Fire-Paramedic Service is taking special precautions during the swine flu outbreak, using a high-tech tool as part of the city's pandemic response plan. Read More... Posted Apr 29 2009, 11:42 AM by CBC | Health News

• Affordable Housing in Nova Scotia Gets $128-million Boost

  Nova Scotians will have more jobs, a stronger economy and better quality of life because the province and government of Canada are partnering to build new and renovate existing affordable housing. Read More... Posted Apr 29 2009, 09:06 AM by Government of Nova Scotia News Releases - Community Services

• Faster swine flu tests in the works

  Researchers in Ontario are working on two potentially faster tests to diagnose swine flu, which would offer a boost to scientists seeking information about the virus. Read More... Posted Apr 29 2009, 06:50 AM by CBC | Health News

• 3 swine flu cases confirmed in Germany as worldwide numbers rise

  Three human cases of swine flu have been confirmed in Germany, the country's disease control centre said Wednesday as the number of confirmed and suspected cases worldwide continues to rise following an outbreak in Mexico. Read More... Posted Apr 29 2009, 01:31 AM by CBC | Health News

• Calgary clinic ordered to halt fee for sterile equipment

  The body that regulates doctors in Alberta has ordered a Calgary clinic to stop charging patients for sterilized medical instruments. Read More... Posted Apr 28 2009, 05:52 PM by CBC | Health News

• Capital Health To Open Influenza Assessment Clinic in Windsor

  NOTE: The Department of Health is issuing this release on behalf of Capital District Health Authority. An influenza assessment clinic will open at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, April 29, at Hants Community Hospital, Capital Health announced today, April 28. Read... Posted Apr 28 2009, 04:20 PM by Government of Nova Scotia News Releases - Health

• Government of Canada and Government of Saskatchewan Support Seven Projects to Improve the Health of First Nations and Métis in the Province

  The Honourable Leona Aglukkaq, Minister of Health, and Saskatchewan Minister of Health Don McMorris, today announced support for seven new projects in Saskatchewan aimed at improving the health of First Nations and Métis people. Read More... Posted Apr 28 2009, 03:50 PM by Canada News Centre - Health Canada Filed under: Society and Culture, Persons

• Simple heart rate check helped predict heart attacks: study

  Men whose heart rates increase the most during mental stress before exercise seem to have a higher risk of dying of a sudden heart attack later in life, French researchers say. Read More... Posted Apr 28 2009, 03:04 PM by CBC | Health News

• Ontario hospital agrees to admit woman ailing in Mexico

  An Ontario hospital has offered to take in a Toronto woman who became critically ill in Mexico last week and became stranded there after her family's atttempts to transfer her to a Canadian hospital failed because of what the family says were unfounded... Posted Apr 28 2009, 01:19 PM by CBC | Health News

• 7 more swine flu cases confirmed in Canada, all mild

  The number of Canadians confirmed to have suffered mild cases of the human form of swine flu swelled to 13 on Tuesday, with new cases reported in Alberta, Ontario and British Columbia. Read More... Posted Apr 28 2009, 12:34 PM by CBC | Health News

• U.S. warns of stomach, liver problems from painkillers

  Pain and fever medications such as Tylenol and Advil will carry new warning labels to highlight potential safety risks such as internal bleeding and liver damage, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Tuesday. Read More... Posted Apr 28 2009, 11:33 AM by CBC | Health News

• Newly found genetic variation linked to autism

  A newly identified genetic variant could account for as many as 15 per cent of autism cases, say researchers who studied genes that are important in connecting brain cells. Read More... Posted Apr 28 2009, 10:36 AM by CBC | Health News

• Alberta confirms 2 cases of swine flu

  Two human cases of swine flu have been confirmed in Alberta. One is in Calgary and the other in the northern part of the province. Read More... Posted Apr 28 2009, 09:34 AM by CBC | Health News

• B.C. not prepared for possible pandemic, says nurses' union

  Some health-care providers in B.C. are raising concerns about how prepared provincial health authorities are to deal with a possible pandemic of swine flu, following the World Health Organization's decision to raise its global pandemic alert level... Posted Apr 28 2009, 08:33 AM by CBC | Health News

• N.B. health authority reports privacy breaches in Fredericton, Saint John

  A New Brunswick health authority has disclosed that medical information on six patients in Fredericton and Saint John was lost in two privacy breaches in the last few months. Read More... Posted Apr 28 2009, 08:27 AM by CBC | Health News

• 'Inappropriate' to use antivirals now, public health chief says

  Antiviral medicines should be reserved for Canadians who need them the most, because making the wrong choices could fuel drug resistance, public health experts say. Read More... Posted Apr 28 2009, 07:33 AM by CBC | Health News

• N.B. is not prepared for swine flu pandemic: Moncton microbiologist

  New Brunswick is not ready to cope with a swine flu pandemic due to a lack of resources and planning, according to a Moncton microbiologist. Read More... Posted Apr 28 2009, 01:49 AM by CBC | Health News

• Canadian health officials issue warning against travel to Mexico

  The Public Health Agency of Canada is warning Canadians not to travel to Mexico, where there's an outbreak of swine flu, unless absolutely necessary. Read More... Posted Apr 28 2009, 01:34 AM by CBC | Health News

• Mexico vacationers shouldn't have been sent to hospital in St. John's: Eastern Health

  Health officials in Newfoundland and Labrador want to know why travellers returning to the province from Mexican vacations last week were sent directly to a hospital in St. John's for assessment. Read More... Posted Apr 28 2009, 01:29 AM by CBC | Health News

• Automated calls help patients taking blood thinners

  Hearing a human say blood-thinner doses are correct may be reassuring, but an automated system can be equally effective for some, a new study suggests. Read More... Posted Apr 27 2009, 02:19 PM by CBC | Health News

• Pairing pharmacists, computers reduces medication errors: studies

  Medication errors account for 78 per cent of serious medical errors in intensive care, but strategies such as keeping medication lists up to date can help, doctors say. Read More... Posted Apr 27 2009, 02:12 PM by CBC | Health News

• Investigating swine flu

  Questions and issues for public health experts to consider in assessing the pandemic threat of H1N1 swine flu. Read More... Posted Apr 27 2009, 12:17 PM by CBC | Health News

• 3 of 4 N.S. students with swine flu recovered: headmaster

  Three of the four Nova Scotia students who contracted swine flu are symptom-free and no longer in isolation, the school's headmaster says. Read More... Posted Apr 27 2009, 10:43 AM by CBC | Health News

• Northern spring thaw leads to mould allergies

  There have been several queries to NWT Health lately about mould, which is coming from a source many might think unlikely: snow. Read More... Posted Apr 27 2009, 09:23 AM by CBC | Health News

• Limit volume on MP3 players, researchers suggest to device makers

  Manufacturers of MP3 players should limit the volume on the devices and authorities should develop public awareness campaigns to prevent hearing loss, Dutch researchers said Monday. Read More... Posted Apr 27 2009, 06:52 AM by CBC | Health News