Health

There have been less overdoses leading to death or hospitalization year-over-year in Canada, according to a new report from Health Canada.

For most people, eating is regular part of everyday life. But for 28-year-old Nicole Friesen, it’s something her body can no longer do.

A fast-spreading subtype of influenza A known as H3N2 is circulating across the GTA weeks earlier than expected, officials say, with some local health units reporting sharp increases in sick children and rising pressure on hospitals heading into the holidays.

Flu season is well underway across the province, with outbreaks affecting schools before the holiday break and some doctors already reporting strained resources amid busy waiting rooms.

Illinois residents with terminal illnesses may choose to end their lives on their own terms under a law Gov. JB Pritzker signed Friday.

The U.K. is facing an “unprecedented wave of super flu”, a health chief has warned, as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer Friday denounced “reckless” plans by doctors to launch a five-day strike next week.

Ottawa’s children’s hospital is appealing to family doctors to “prioritize after hours and urgent appointments” in their clinics for children with respiratory symptoms or assist at CHEO’s clinic as officials see a rise in flu cases in the lead up to the holiday season.

The U.S. Senate on Thursday rejected competing proposals by Republicans and Democrats to address a looming healthcare crisis, leaving some 24 million Americans vulnerable to significantly higher insurance premiums beginning on January 1 when a federal subsidy expires.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration intends to put a “black box” warning on COVID-19 vaccines, according to two people familiar with the agency’s plans.

China will soon start collecting a value-added tax on contraceptive drugs and products for the first time in over three decades, a move aligned with Beijing’s effort to get families to have more children after decades of limiting most to one child.

Quebec’s Federation of General Practitioners and the Quebec government have reached an agreement in principle, the federation confirmed on social media.

Children who were vaccinated against COVID-19 last season had a “substantially lower risk” of emergency department and urgent care visits related to the virus, according to a report published Thursday by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Measles outbreaks are growing along the Utah-Arizona border and in South Carolina, where hundreds are in quarantine.

With Australia’s social media ban for young people now in effect, there are some in Canada who hope similar legislation will be passed here.

Researchers say there’s been a dramatic rise in the number of people going on medications to treat attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder in Ontario, suggesting factors such as more time spent online and the rise of private assessments for the mental condition could be behind the increase.