Many Quebec hospitals ill-equipped to handle C. difficile: experts

MONTREAL (CP) - Public-health experts warned Thursday of a lack of private hospital rooms, resources and even hand-washing measures to fight the deadly C. difficile outbreak....More

Researchers discover why stressful situations make people forgetful

WASHINGTON (AP) - How many people have got home after a blindingly stressful day and realize they've forgotten some important event or errand? Well, now at least there's a scientific explanation for the oversight. Stress makes you forgetful....More

FDA to inspect ID Biomedical plant in bid to import surplus flu vaccine

TORONTO (CP) - Officials of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will inspect the Ste-Foy, Que., flu vaccine production plant of ID Biomedical next week in a bid to approve the company's surplus vaccine for importation to the United States....More

Missouri latest state to offer drug-import program with suppliers in Canada

CHICAGO (AP) - Missouri has joined Illinois and Wisconsin in a new drug-import program to make cheaper prescription drugs available from Canada and Europe despite a U.S. federal ban on the imports. Missouri Gov. Bob Holden appeared with Gov....More

Needle exchange needed in prisons to combat spread of disease, groups say

TORONTO (CP) - The alarming prevalence of HIV and hepatitis C infection among inmates is a health issue that affects all Canadians and requires the country's prisons to immediately adopt needle exchange programs, advocacy groups said Wednesday....More

Internet pharmacy group seeks funding from generic drug company

WINNIPEG (CP) - A group representing Internet pharmacies has asked Canada's biggest generic drug maker, as well as others with an interest in seeing the industry thrive, for financial help....More

Don't panic about supply of flu shots, says Ontario health minister

TORONTO (CP) - Ontario will not run out of free flu shots for residents even though Americans are lining up at clinics here because of a shortage of vaccine in the United States, Health Minister George Smitherman said Wednesday....More

Doctor shortage set to balloon, urgent action needed to train more: survey

TORONTO (CP) - Finding a family doctor in Canada who accepts new patients is tough. But it's on the verge of getting a lot tougher, three top medical associations warned Wednesday as they released a troubling survey of the country's physicians....More

Ontario government to spend $10 million on 4-year boost for nursing schools

TORONTO (CP) - Nursing faculty who want to get PhDs in their chosen profession won't have to pay tuition as part of a $10-million, four-year investment announced Wednesday by the Ontario government....More

Canadian kids being encouraged to eat smart, move more, get media savvy

TORONTO (CP) - Canadian children are being encouraged to eat smart, be more active and become more media savvy as part of a new program designed to teach kids to lead healthier lifestyles....More

Daughter 'freaked out' upon learning mom jailed on assisted suicide charges

DUNCAN, B.C. (CP) - Freaked out, confused, terrified and hyperventilating were the words a daughter used Wednesday to describe her emotions after police called in June 2002 to say her mother was in jail on assisted suicide charges....More

Klein keeps biggest issue in Alberta election under wraps until after vote

EDMONTON (CP) - One of the biggest issues in the Alberta election is the one that Ralph Klein doesn't want to talk about. The Alberta premier and his Conservative government have said they won't outline plans for reforming health care until after the Nov. 22 election....More

Stressed out at work? Researchers say friends and family could be cure

CALGARY (CP) - Having a happy marriage may help workers cope with pressure cooker stress at the office, a new study suggests....More

Some Chinese 13-watt mini-spiral bulbs pose shock and fire peril, UL warns

TORONTO (CP) - Energy-conscious Canadians who are using 13-watt spiral mini-fluorescent light bulbs from China are being warned that the product may pose a shock and fire hazard. Underwriters Laboratories Inc....More

Social anxiety disorder can persist for decades: StatsCan study

OTTAWA (CP) - Perhaps everyone gets nervous before an important meeting or social event. But "crippling shyness" has caused an estimated two million Canadians to avoid social encounters or face them with dread at some point in their lives, a Statistics Canada study said Tuesday....More

Popular heartburn drugs linked to increased pneumonia risk

CHICAGO (AP) - Widely used heartburn and ulcer drugs such as Nexium, Pepcid and Prilosec can make people more susceptible to pneumonia, probably because they reduce germ-killing stomach acid, Dutch researchers found in a study of more than 300,000 patients....More

Quebec to monitor antibiotic prescriptions in fight against C. difficile

QUEBEC (CP) - The deadly C. difficile bacteria may have hit Quebec harder than the rest of Canada because doctors in the province prescribe more antibiotics, Health Minister Philippe Couillard said Tuesday....More

Experts advise respiratory hygiene - a.k.a. good manners - in flu season

TORONTO (CP) - Nights are getting longer, days are getting shorter and we're all spending much more time indoors. In other words, the advent of the cold and flu season is upon us....More

American cruise to get Canadian flu shot a success

SEATTLE (AP) - In an enterprising combination of tourism and health care, people are taking a high-speed ferry cruise across Puget Sound to British Columbia for some scenery and a flu shot....More

Long-distance operations could be performed by robots in future: cardiologist

CALGARY (CP) - Medical robots will increasingly hold the surgical key for heart patients living in remote or isolated communities, says a top cardiologist....More

National child care program promises another pitched fed-provincial battle

OTTAWA (CP) - The Liberal government's proposed national child care plan could spark another ugly round of federal-provincial squabbling, says a researcher involved in an international report on Canada's "dismal" patchwork of programs....More

Caked in mud, cyclocross racers do it for fitness and for fun

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) - Roxy Cate has just finished a 45-minute cyclocross race: furiously pedalling through mucky turns and along rain-soaked grassy straightaways, running several times up a nearly vertical hill with her bike slung over her shoulder, and leaping with it over wooden barriers....More

Cdn doctors urged to get legal protection if giving cross-border flu shots

TORONTO (CP) - The organization that insures Canadian doctors is urging them to arm themselves legally if they are giving flu shots to Americans crossing the border because of vaccine shortages in the United States....More

Alleged deadbeat dad still glad he donated kidney to man he met over Internet

DENVER (AP) - A man who donated a kidney to a Colorado man he met through a website says he should be considered "a hero," and insists his past - including more than $8,000 US in overdue child support payments - has nothing to do with his decision to help....More

Stressed out at work? Researchers say friends and family could be cure

CALGARY (CP) - Having a happy marriage may help workers cope with pressure cooker stress at the office, a new study suggests....More

B.C. man claims tobacco giant withheld data on harmful effects of cigarettes

VANCOUVER (CP) - A B.C. man is asking the B.C. Supreme Court to allow a class action suit alleging Imperial Tobacco's use of "light" designations on cigarettes is misleading and harmful. The suit is brought by Kenneth Knight of Roberts Creek, B.C....More

Health advocates call for national strategy on Alzheimer's and other dementias

VICTORIA (CP) - Advocates for the elderly say Canada urgently needs a national strategy on Alzheimer's Disease and related dementias....More

Mysterious retrovirus can be transmitted via blood transfusion, agency says

TORONTO (CP) - Health authorities in Canada are trying to determine what measures need to be taken to ensure the safety of the country's blood supply after learning a little-understood primate virus can be transmitted through blood transfusion....More

Thai man in Belgian hospital after smuggling eagles found with bird flu

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - A Thai man who tried to smuggle into Belgium two small eagles infected with a deadly avian flu virus was undergoing medical tests Sunday, but appeared to be in good health, officials said....More

Researchers show non-matching transplant induces long-term blood type tolerance

TORONTO (CP) - Children who receive a non-matching blood type heart transplant in early childhood appear to develop long-term tolerance for the donor's blood type, a study shows....More

Security expert warns Internet pharmacies at risk from terrorists

TORONTO (CP) - A Canadian-based security expert will tell a panel on Internet pharmacies this week that mail-order drug companies could become targets for terrorists....More

Montreal study links diabetes with liver and pancreatic cancer

MONTREAL (CP) - Diabetic men are more likely than healthy men to develop pancreatic and liver cancer, indicates a study that suggests a potentially fatal complication linked to the insulin deficiency....More

Rash hope: World Psoriasis Day a call for better treatment

MONTREAL (CP) - Don't scratch this date from your daytimer: Friday, Oct. 29 is World Psoriasis Day....More

National lab working to crack mysteries of dangerous avian flu viruses

TORONTO (CP) - Scientists in Winnipeg are toiling over two viruses that are giving experts in the flu world more than a few sleepless nights - the H5 and H7 avian influenza strains, considered the biggest threats to cause the next flu pandemic....More

Major British poultry producer finds cancer-causing drug in chicken batch

BELFAST, Northern Ireland (AP) - Northern Ireland's largest food-processing company, Moy Park Ltd., pledged Thursday to discover how a potentially cancer-causing drug ended up in up to 23 tonnes of its free-range chickens....More

Health Canada approves new rapid HIV test developed by MedMira Inc.

HALIFAX (CP) - MedMira Inc.'s new rapid HIV test has been approved for use at Canadian clinics by Health Canada, the Halifax company said Thursday. The test detects HIV antibodies in human serum or plasma....More

C. difficile to be monitored in 25 Canadian teaching hospitals:official

MONTREAL (CP) - Faced with a deadly C. difficile epidemic in Quebec, the Public Health Agency of Canada said Thursday it will begin tracking the bacterium in 25 major teaching hospitals across Canada....More

Easing bio-security on reconstituted killer virus raises concerns

TORONTO (CP) - The decision by a team of U.S. researchers to ease bio-security precautions for a reconstituted version of the 1918 pandemic flu virus - the most lethal killing machine in viral history - is sparking debate within the international scientific community....More

Freezing, refrigerating breast milk lowers its antioxidant content: study

TORONTO (CP) - Refrigerating or freezing expressed breast milk, a practice many women use when returning to the workforce after maternity leave, lowers its antioxidant content, a new study has found....More

AP survey suggests most European countries have plenty of flu vaccine

GENEVA (AP) - Ireland - like the United States - is struggling to find enough flu vaccine following the shutdown of a British factory, but other European countries mostly have no shortages, an Associated Press survey found Thursday....More

Blood donor identified as France's 8th human case of mad cow disease

PARIS (AP) - A donor whose blood was used to transfuse 10 people and to manufacture medicines has been identified as France's eighth known victim of the human equivalent of mad cow disease, health officials announced Thursday....More

C. difficile deaths are up in Quebec, situation an 'epidemic,' says doctor

MONTREAL (CP) - An infection-control specialist described a C. difficile outbreak in Quebec Wednesday as an 'epidemic' that has killed 109 people in 10 hospitals over a six-month period this year. Dr....More

Quebec's health minister calls rise in C. difficile deaths a 'plague'

QUEBEC (CP) - Quebec's health minister called the C. difficile bacteria outbreak a "scourge" on Wednesday, saying a six-fold increase in reported deaths linked to the bacteria is a "serious problem....More

Overweight and obese people overcome challenges to exercise

(AP) - Tom Burns realized he was woefully out of shape after he ran a block and a half around his neighbourhood and felt "every bone, muscle and joint in my body was killing me." Back then, Burns was obese. At 5-foot-8, he tipped the scales at 220 pounds....More

Ontario government unveils list of junk foods to be banned in schools

TORONTO (CP) - The Ontario government is banning pop, potato chips and other calorie-laden junk foods from elementary school vending machines in a bid to improve the physical fitness of the province's schoolchildren....More

Ontario government moves to ban junk foods from elementary schools

TORONTO (CP) - The Ontario government is banning pop, potato chips and other calorie-laden junk foods from vending machines in elementary schools in a bid to improve the physical fitness of the province's schoolchildren....More

National group to release blueprint to reduce suicides in Canada

EDMONTON (CP) - Carol Carson didn't fathom the depth of her son Stephan's depression until she found his body hanging in the basement of her Saskatoon home....More

N.B. hospital workers narrowly accept tentative deal with province

FREDERICTON (CP) - Striking hospital workers returned to work Wednesday after narrowly voting to accept a new four-year contract with the New Brunswick government....More

Golfer Linda Maurer, first to wear Medic Alert bracelet, dies at 65

TURLOCK, Calif. (AP) - Linda Collins Maurer, a pro golfer who became the first person to wear a Medic Alert bracelet after her parents created the chains, has died. She was 65. Maurer died Oct....More

More tigers die of suspected bird flu at Thai zoo after eating raw chicken

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - Seven more tigers have died at a private zoo in Thailand where 23 others succumbed to bird flu, an official said Wednesday....More

Doctors report safer ways to help cancer patients have children later

PHILADELPHIA (AP) - Doctors are reporting two advances that may give women with cancer safer ways to preserve their ability to have children without compromising their chances of beating the disease....More

Democrats find stem cell research a wedge issue for luring Republican votes

WASHINGTON (AP) - Following the deaths of Ronald Reagan and Christopher Reeve, embryonic stem cell research with its potential to find cures for debilitating illnesses is giving Senator John Kerry and other Democrats an issue to pitch to moderate Republican voters....More

Amid flu-shot crisis, elderly should get pneumococcal vaccine

WASHINGTON (AP) - The flu-shot shortage makes it more imperative for elderly Americans to get a second, often overlooked vaccine that protects against a type of pneumonia germ that's a common complication of influenza....More

Cancer-wracked Burchell wanted control of life and death, sister testifies

DUNCAN, B.C. (CP) - When Leyanne Burchell was diagnosed with stomach cancer in 1999, the Vancouver teacher of terminally ill children started planning for her own death, her sister testified Tuesday. Burchell hosted a huge good-bye party for her friends....More

Canadian flu vaccine may be let into States as 'experimental drug': FDA

TORONTO (CP) - Surplus influenza vaccine from Canada may be imported to the United States as an experimental drug, U.S. authorities suggested Tuesday. After confirming they were in active discussions with both Health Canada and the manufacturer of the vaccine, U.S....More

Alberta survey shows Albertans want to put more money into health care

EDMONTON (CP) - Albertans have told Premier Ralph Klein that they want to spend more on health care - not less....More

American drug authorities looking at Canadian supplier for flu vaccine

WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is in "active negotiations" with a Canadian manufacturer to obtain an extra 1.5 million doses of flu vaccine, Dr. Anthony Fauci, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, said Tuesday....More

American Medical Association cites Chicago group as model for fighting obesity

CHICAGO (AP) - Yoga and dance workshops for kids and parents at a museum. Free bike locks to encourage students to cycle to school. A food bank that offers fitness workouts along with hot meals for children....More

U.S. FDA approves temporary artificial heart for patients awaiting transplant

WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the first temporary artificial heart for use in patients at risk of dying as they await a heart transplant, device manufacturer SynCardia Systems said Monday....More

Health Canada's never-ending fight against E. coli goes high-tech

CALGARY (CP) - Health officials are going increasingly high-tech in their efforts to track and contain outbreaks of E. coli poisoning....More

Singapore man dies of cholera, 1st death in 15 years; 8 others ill

SINGAPORE (AP) - An elderly man has died of cholera, the first victim of the illness in Singapore in 15 years, officials and the local media said Tuesday. An 89-year-old man died Oct. 13, the Straits Times newspaper reported Tuesday....More

Pfizer to study pain drug Celebrex for patients at risk for heart disease

NEW YORK (AP) - Pfizer Inc. said Monday it plans a major study to see if its pain medication Celebrex can help osteoarthritis patients at risk for cardiovascular disease. The announcement comes almost three weeks after Merck & Co....More

Two million doses of Canadian flu vaccine may be available for U.S.

OTTAWA (CP) - There may be over two million doses of surplus flu vaccine in Canada to send to the United States where there is a serious shortage, says Canada's public health officer....More

Mounties tail woman to Vancouver as part of assisted suicide sting

DUNCAN, B.C. (CP) - Three Mounties from Vancouver Island tailed a woman from Vancouver Island to Vancouver in June 2002 as part of an elaborate police sting operation following the suicide of a former nun, court heard Monday....More

New Jersey town to use lottery to allocate remaining flu vaccine

BLOOMFIELD, N.J. (AP) - This township of 70,000 people has come up with a way to parcel out its 300 remaining flu vaccines: a lottery....More

Cross-border prescriptions threaten Canadian supply, health groups warn

TORONTO (CP) - Cross-border Internet pharmacies threaten to drain precious supplies needed to treat sick Canadians and could lead to a "full-scale disaster" for the health system, a coalition of groups representing seniors, pharmacies and patients warned Monday....More

U.S. drug consumers no threat to Cdn. supply: federal health minister

VANCOUVER (CP) - Ottawa will not speed the creation of a national pharmacare program to deal with the growing flood of Americans who come to Canada to buy up supplies of cheaper prescription drugs....More

U.S. psychology prof finds 'truth wizards'; They know a lie when they hear it

WASHINGTON (AP) - The clues aren't as obvious as Pinocchio's nose, but there's a small group of individuals who can detect the subtle signs that people reveal when they lie....More

Exhausted, some collapsing, thousands line up for shot at flu vaccine

SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - Seventy-year-old Homer Fink spent eight hours sitting next to a supermarket Halloween display to get a flu shot that he wasn't able to receive at five other clinics. "I've had five bypasses and six stents in me now....More

Vancouver vaccine maker holds out hope for U.S. flu shot sales this year

TORONTO (CP) - Tony Holler thinks there's still an even chance U.S. regulatory authorities will find a way to import his company's surplus influenza vaccine to help fill a gaping void created by the unexpected loss of half the U.S. annual supply of flu shots....More

Space medicine mission targets Earth, Moon, Mars - and rural Canada

TORONTO (CP) - Doctors and other health-care providers will be one step closer to making long-distance house calls or conduct telerobotic surgery in rural Canadian communities and even in space when crewmembers of NEEMO 7 surface this week, says a prominent Canadian astronaut who helped...More

Health Canada's never-ending fight against E. coli goes high-tech

CALGARY (CP) - Health officials are going increasingly high-tech in their efforts to track and contain outbreaks of E. coli poisoning....More

Health ministers need more time to study proposals for improving health care

VANCOUVER (CP) - Canada's health ministers had little to report, avoiding the cameras at the close of their first planning session since striking a massive commitment with Ottawa to improve health care....More

Koebels likely to plead guilty to public endangerment in Walkerton charges

TORONTO (CP) - The two brothers charged in the devastating Walkerton, Ont., E. coli outbreak that killed seven people will likely plead guilty to public endangerment as part of a proposed resolution that would leave it up to a judge to decide whether the men should go to jail, The Canadian...More

Exhausted, some collapsing, thousands line up for shot at flu vaccine

SOUTH CHARLESTON, W.Va. (AP) - Seventy-year-old Homer Fink spent eight hours sitting next to a supermarket Halloween display to get a flu shot that he wasn't able to receive at five other clinics. ...More

U.S. psychology prof finds 'truth wizards'; They know a lie when they hear it

WASHINGTON (AP) - The clues aren't as obvious as Pinocchio's nose, but there's a small group of individuals who can detect the subtle signs that people reveal when they lie. ...More

Province to make chief medical officer of health more independent

TORONTO (CP) - Ontario's chief medical officer of health will be more independent and assume some ministerial powers under proposed legislation, the provincial health minister said Thursday....More

Smoking should be banned in cars that carry children: medical group

TORONTO (CP) - The dangers of second-hand smoke are so great there should be a ban on lighting up in cars carrying children, Ontario doctors said Thursday, bringing an immediate outcry from critics who labelled it another attack on personal freedoms....More

Patient safety could improve if workers who report errors were protected

EDMONTON (CP) - Patient safety would improve if health workers who report hospital errors were protected from legal action, says a new report....More

New lead in quest to protect women from sexual HIV transmission

WASHINGTON (AP) - Scientists have long sought a vaginal gel that women could apply before sex to block the AIDS virus. Now they've found a new lead - a chemical specially designed to thwart the way HIV penetrates women's cells....More

Documents show Ont. docs to average pay hikes of 24 per cent over four years

TORONTO (CP) - It appears the new agreement between Ontario's 21,000 doctors and the province's Liberal government is far more lucrative than the government will admit to....More

Bush's position on Canadian flu shots vs. prescription drugs called 'ironic'

TORONTO (CP) - When President George W. Bush spoke of importing Canadian flu vaccine during Wednesday's election debate, many in the U.S....More

B.C. woman at suicide of former nun says experience was surreal

DUNCAN, B.C. (CP) - A woman who attended a former nun's suicide described Thursday how she took the woman's cat out of the room because the animal seemed to know her owner was going to die....More

Canadians ate more fruit in 2003, but still loved their spuds, says StatsCan

OTTAWA (CP) - Canadians ate more fruit in 2003 but still loved their spuds and sampled Chinese cabbage too, says Statistics Canada. Although traditional fruits and vegetables were still the main choice, tropical and foreign produce were taking hold, the agency said Thursday....More

Green Arrow comic book to feature HIV-positive sidekick Mia

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Along with fighting alien menaces and criminal masterminds, the Green Arrow comic book will now feature a sidekick engaged in a more personal struggle - this one against HIV....More

Future is now: U.S. approves implantable chip that links to health records

TORONTO (CP) - "Can I scan your arm, sir?" Forget about temperature taking and blood pressure checking. In the bright, near future, the first step for people seeking medical care may be to have their bicep read by an electronic scanner seeking data stored on an implanted chip....More

CDC: Vaccine-caused cases of polio have been eliminated in the U.S.

CHICAGO (AP) - A switch in the type of polio vaccine recommended for use in the United States appears to have wiped out U.S. cases of the disease caused by the vaccine itself, the government says. In 2000, U.S....More

FDA approves implantable chip in patients to pass medical info to doctors

WASHINGTON (AP) - The Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday approved an implantable computer chip that can pass a patient's medical details to doctors, speeding care....More

Fallen arches: McDonald's to drop logo in 'Change' British ad campaign

LONDON (AP) - In an effort to change customers' perception of McDonald's, the fast-food giant says it will temporarily drop its famous Golden Arches logo in advertisements in Britain beginning Friday, replacing it with a yellow question mark....More

Canadian drugs a recurring issue in American presidential debates

WASHINGTON (CP) - John Kerry accused President George W. Bush in their final debate Wednesday of turning "his back on the wellness of America" and blocking cheaper prescription drug imports from Canada....More

Afghan boy flown to Canada for heart surgery to be released from hospital

TORONTO (CP) - An Afghan boy who came to Canada for life-saving heart surgery was to be discharged after recovering from heart-valve surgery, the Hospital for Sick Children said Wednesday. Nine-year-old Djamshid Popal waited months for his strength to improve for an Oct....More

B.C. health officials say hepatitis A diagnosis could have widespread impact

KELOWNA, B.C. (CP) - Health officials in the B.C. Interior issued a public warning Wednesday after a restaurant worker was diagnosed with hepatitis A....More

Prairie health officials preparing for next year after slow West Nile season

EDMONTON (CP) - Public health officials on the Prairies are already preparing for next year's West Nile virus season, even though they're perplexed by the way the disease performed this year. ...More

Study shows few Americans buy drugs online - let alone from Canada

NEW YORK (AP) - Only four per cent of Americans have ever used the Internet to buy prescription drugs - and even fewer do so through foreign pharmacies - despite websites maintained by a handful of states to help citizens import medicines more cheaply from Canada, a new study finds. ...More

Seniors, en route to Canada to buy cheaper drugs, stop in New York City

NEW YORK (AP) - With a button pinned to her jacket that read "Drug Companies Make Me Sick," Mildred Fruhling, 76, prepared Tuesday to board a train to Canada to buy the medicine she and her husband need. The prescription drugs are available at home in Edison, N.J....More

Guidelines needed to prevent conflict for doctors in drug trials: journal

TORONTO (CP) - Stringent guidelines are needed to ensure there is no financial conflict of interest when doctors are paid to take part in patient studies to test experimental drugs or other treatments, an article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal says....More

Liberals knew federal funds for hep-C victims earmarked for special care: NDP

TORONTO (CP) - Ontario's Liberals have misspent millions in federal funds earmarked for victims of hepatitis C, the New Democrats charged Tuesday as they pressed for a detailed accounting of how the money was spent....More

Ex-wife of Lance Armstrong to run in NYC marathon for charity

NEW YORK (AP) - Kristin Armstrong, ex-wife of Tour de France champion Lance Armstrong, will run in the New York City Marathon next month to raise money for her charity....More

Scientists in India meet to work on strategy to fight global viruses

PUNE, India (AP) - More than 300 scientists from around the world shared information on tracking and curbing the cross-border spread of viruses as they met in India for a three-day seminar ending Wednesday....More

Crown opens case against B.C. woman charged with aiding in two suicides

DUNCAN, B.C. (CP) - An elderly Victoria woman charged with helping two women commit suicide told an undercover RCMP officer she was there when one of the women took her own life, a B.C. Supreme Court jury heard Tuesday....More

Canadian producer in talks with US over sale of excess flu vaccine

TORONTO (CP) - U.S. health authorities seeking desperately to overcome a massive shortage of flu vaccine in that country are in discussions with Canada's major influenza vaccine producer, the company confirmed Tuesday. At stake are an estimated 1....More

Study finds nearly 200 million Chinese are overweight

BEIJING (AP) - The Health Ministry says in a report that 200 million Chinese are overweight, a sign that rising incomes are helping to expand waistlines. More than 160 million Chinese have high blood pressure and 20 million suffer from diabetes, the ministry said....More

Ontario class-action lawsuit by users of arthritis drug Vioxx joins others

TORONTO (CP) - A Toronto-based law firm filed another class-action lawsuit Friday against drug maker Merck and Co. Inc., the makers of the arthritis drug Vioxx. The lawsuit is the fifth to be filed in Canada since the drug was withdrawn by Merck on Sept. 30....More

L.A. health officials urge porn producers to require condoms during sex scenes

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Los Angeles County health officials sent letters to producers and directors in the porn industry, urging them to use condoms during sex scenes to help prevent a repeat of April's HIV outbreak....More

Study shows few Americans buy drugs online - let alone from Canada

NEW YORK (AP) - Only four per cent of Americans have ever used the Internet to buy prescription drugs - and even fewer do so through foreign pharmacies - despite websites maintained by a handful of states to help citizens import medicines more cheaply from Canada, a new study finds....More

Nymox swallows federal patent on E. coli cattle treatment

MONTREAL (CP) - Health Canada has farmed out new technology to treat E. coli bacteria in cattle to a private-sector Quebec company, Nymox Pharmaceutical Corp. The licensing agreement arises from a collaboration with Dr....More

High potassium level could have been treated before woman's death: inquest

WINNIPEG (CP) - Dr. Carla Chrusche knew she was dealing with a critically ill patient on Jan. 4, 2002, when June Morris landed in her intensive care unit suffering from a broken hip, pneumonia, low blood pressure and malnutrition....More

Guidelines needed to prevent conflict for doctors in drug trials: journal

TORONTO (CP) - Stringent guidelines are needed to ensure there is no financial conflict of interest when doctors are paid to take part in patient studies to test experimental drugs or other treatments, an article in the Canadian Medical Association Journal says....More

Low-carb Atkins warns public of fad and yo-yo dieting dangers

TORONTO (CP) - Too much turkey got you thinking about a quickie diet? Think again, say the champions of the no-bread craze....More

Prairie health officials preparing for next year after slow West Nile season

EDMONTON (CP) - Public health officials on the Prairies are already preparing for next year's West Nile virus season, even though they're perplexed by the way the disease performed this year....More

MDS appoints Gilbert Godin as president of its contract research division

TORONTO (CP) - Medical sciences company MDS Inc. has appointed longtime drug industry executive Gilbert Godin as the new president of its contract research services division Toronto-based MDS (TSX:MDS; NYSE:MDZ) said Thursday that Godin will take over MDS Pharma Services,...More

FDA silenced expert who raised concerns about Vioxx: U.S. Senator

WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration silenced one of its drug experts who raised safety concerns weeks before Merck & Co. yanked the blockbuster drug Vioxx due to increased risks for heart attack and strokes, the chairman of the U.S....More

L.A. health officials urge porn producers to require condoms during sex scenes

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Los Angeles County health officials sent letters to producers and directors in the porn industry, urging them to use condoms during sex scenes to help prevent a repeat of April's HIV outbreak....More

Dosanjh asks provinces how they used money intended for hepatitis C victims

OTTAWA (CP) - Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh says provinces should tell the public now what they did with $300 million intended for hepatitis C victims but never received by them....More

Ontario class-action lawsuit by users of arthritis drug Vioxx joins others

TORONTO (CP) - A Toronto-based law firm filed another class-action lawsuit Friday against drug maker Merck and Co. Inc., the makers of the arthritis drug Vioxx. The lawsuit is the fifth to be filed in Canada since the drug was withdrawn by Merck on Sept. 30....More

Nymox swallows federal patent on E. coli cattle treatment

MONTREAL (CP) - Health Canada has farmed out new technology to treat E. coli bacteria in cattle to a private-sector Quebec company, Nymox Pharmaceutical Corp. The licensing agreement arises from a collaboration with Dr....More

Study shows few Americans buy drugs online - let alone from Canada

NEW YORK (AP) - Only four per cent of Americans have ever used the Internet to buy prescription drugs - and even fewer do so through foreign pharmacies - despite websites maintained by a handful of states to help citizens import medicines more cheaply from Canada, a new study finds....More

High potassium level could have been treated before woman's death: inquest

WINNIPEG (CP) - Dr. Carla Chrusche knew she was dealing with a critically ill patient on Jan. 4, 2002, when June Morris landed in her intensive care unit suffering from a broken hip, pneumonia, low blood pressure and malnutrition....More

Swamped by patients worried about arthritis drugs, experts offer advice

TORONTO (CP) - Keisha Senior knows she's supposed to stop taking Vioxx for her chronic rheumatoid arthritis. But Senior, 25, has been unable to reach her doctor and is unwilling to undergo the devastating pain that will follow an abrupt change to her pain control regime....More

Toronto doctor changes story under cross-examination, panel hears

TORONTO (CP) - A Toronto doctor accused of co-signing thousands of prescriptions for an Internet pharmacy without seeing patients changed his story several times under heated cross-examination at his disciplinary hearing Thursday. Dr....More

Smoke inhalation victim can seem fine, go into lung failure suddenly: doctors

TORONTO (CP) - The unexpected death of a crewman more than 24 hours after a fire aboard a Canadian submarine mirrors the delayed-effect pattern of smoke inhalation - an injury called the quick-change artist of emergency medicine....More

Pediatricians should watch for maternal depression signs during infant visits

TORONTO (CP) - Pediatricians need to watch for signs of maternal depression to prevent "serious and lasting" consequences for the baby and should reassure mothers that antidepressant use will not harm their child, the Canadian Paediatric Society advised Thursday....More

Nurse says Winnipeg patient got potassium at faster rate than expected

WINNIPEG (CP) - The nurse who cared for an 83-year-old woman just before she died of a potassium overdose told an inquest Thursday that an intravenous pump was set at twice the speed she expected....More

FDA silenced expert who raised concerns about Vioxx: U.S. Senator

WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration silenced one of its drug experts who raised safety concerns weeks before Merck & Co. yanked the blockbuster drug Vioxx due to increased risks for heart attack and strokes, the chairman of the U.S....More

Dosanjh asks provinces how they used money intended for hepatitis C victims

OTTAWA (CP) - Health Minister Ujjal Dosanjh says provinces should tell the public now what they did with $300 million intended for hepatitis C victims but never received by them....More

MDS appoints Gilbert Godin as president of its contract research division

TORONTO (CP) - Medical sciences company MDS Inc. has appointed longtime drug industry executive Gilbert Godin as the new president of its contract research services division Toronto-based MDS (TSX:MDS; NYSE:MDZ) said Thursday that Godin will take over MDS Pharma Services,...More

Province needs to do more to prevent diabetes, B.C. Auditor General warns

VANCOUVER (CP) - Taxing junk food is one suggestion made by B.C.'s auditor general who says the provincial government needs to do more to prevent diabetes. In his 96-page report released Wednesday, Auditor General Wayne Strelioff concluded that B.C....More

Scientists question whether Vioxx problem affects entire class of drugs

TORONTO (CP) - In the wake of last week's surprise market withdrawal of wonder drug Vioxx, scientists Wednesday questioned the safety of the entire class of arthritis drugs known as Cox-2 inhibitors....More

Nobel chemistry prize to 2 Israelis, American for work in protein degradation

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) - Israelis Aaron Ciechanover and Avram Hershko and American Irwin Rose won the 2004 Nobel Prize in chemistry on Tuesday for their work in discovering a process that lets cells destroy unwanted proteins....More

First human case of West Nile virus in Alberta this year in east-central area

EDMONTON (CP) - Alberta's first human case of West Nile virus this year is a woman from the province's east-central region who did not wear mosquito spray, health officials said Wednesday. Dr....More

Drug improves survival by months in some men with prostate cancer: study

TORONTO (CP) - Doctors can prolong the lives of men with advanced prostate cancer for several months and improve their quality of life with a new-generation drug treatment, a Canadian-led international study has found....More

Americans can find prescription drugs cheaper at home than in Cda: task force

WASHINGTON (AP) - A task force led by the U.S. Surgeon General is still drafting its report on drug importation, but one conclusion is already clear: Savvy shoppers can find cheaper prescription drugs in American pharmacies....More

Doctor facing disciplinary hearing claims he can't remember job description

TORONTO (CP) - A doctor accused of co-signing thousands of prescriptions for an online pharmacy without first diagnosing the patients told his disciplinary hearing Wednesday that didn't recall some of the duties of his job....More

Authenticity of online prescriptions raised at doctor disciplinary hearing

TORONTO (CP) - A Toronto doctor accused of co-signing thousands of prescriptions for an online pharmacy without diagnosing patients had no way of verifying if the majority of drug orders he handled were authentic, his disciplinary tribunal heard Wednesday....More

Marijuana now vice of choice among adolescents as tobacco use drops: study

TORONTO (CP) - More Canadian young people appear to be butting out when it comes to cigarettes, but a growing number of pot smokers has put Canada at the top of the international heap for marijuana use among young adolescents, a new study suggests....More

National study on trends in youth health finds fewer young people are smoking

TORONTO (CP) - Fewer Canadian young people are smoking cigarettes and more are smoking marijuana, suggests a national study released Tuesday by Canada's Public Health Agency....More

Flu vaccine maker's shipments suspended, raising fears of U.S. shortage

LONDON (CP) - Global and U.S. health officials warned Tuesday of major flu shot shortages after British health officials abruptly pulled the licence of the maker of half the U.S. vaccine supply just as flu season was about to begin....More

Claims of Alberta anti-cold product breakthrough need further review:expert

EDMONTON (CP) - Claims of an anti-cold product breakthrough by an Alberta biotech firm are getting a cool response from a medical expert. CV Technologies Inc. and University of Alberta researchers released clinical trial results Tuesday on Cold-fX....More

Denver agency denies coroner's claim hospitals harvested living man's organs

DENVER (AP) - A Colorado organ-donor agency disputed a coroner's claim Tuesday that two hospitals allowed vital organs to be removed from a man before they proved he was brain dead....More

Alta. university islet transplant research program shares $75-m US grant

EDMONTON (CP) - A University of Alberta islet transplant research program that has proven hopeful for patients with Type 1 diabetes will share a $75-million US grant from the American-based National Institutes of Health....More

Britain suspends licence for major supplier of flu vaccine for United States

LONDON (AP) - British health authorities on Tuesday blocked flu vaccine shipments by the company that produces half the vaccine used in the United States just ahead of the flu season. Chiron Corp....More

Alta plans to fight health card abuse weak compared with other provinces

EDMONTON (CP) - While the Alberta government has promised to crack down on health card fraud, the steps it is taking fall far short of what some other provinces are doing. Alberta has one government employee who monitors possible abuse of its health insurance cards....More

Former health minister Elinor Caplan to review home care contract process

TORONTO (CP) - Former health minister Elinor Caplan will lead a review of how contracts are awarded to home-care providers in the province, Health Minister George Smitherman said Monday....More

ICU nurses unfamiliar with potassium acetate, Winnipeg inquest told

WINNIPEG (CP) - The nurse in charge of an intensive care unit where an 83-year-old patient died from a potassium overdose told an inquest Monday that neither she nor the nurse working directly with June Morris was familiar with using potassium acetate to treat patients....More

Canadian users of arthritis drug Vioxx line up for class action suit

VANCOUVER (CP) - Just days after the arthritis drug Vioxx was pulled from store shelves, a class action lawsuit has been launched in B.C. Supreme Court alleging negligence by drug maker Merck and Co. Inc....More

Asian death toll from bird flu reaches 31 as Indonesia deals with resurgence

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - The human toll from bird flu reached 31 on Monday when Thailand confirmed a nine-year-old girl died from the disease, while Indonesia announced it was among the countries still struggling with Asia's continuing outbreaks....More

Fetus affected by mom's exposure to workplace solvents, study on kids shows

TORONTO (CP) - Children whose mothers were exposed during pregnancy to on-the-job solvents like paint or dry-cleaning fluids score lower on tests for IQ, language and cognitive skills than other kids their age, a Canadian study has found....More

2 American researchers win Nobel for studies of sense of smell

STOCKHOLM, Sweden (AP) - American researchers Dr. Richard Axel and Linda Buck shared the 2004 Nobel Prize in physiology or medicine on Monday for their work on the sense of smell - showing how, for example, a person can smell a lilac in the spring and recall it in the winter....More

Alberta auditor general says health-care insurance cards are being abused

EDMONTON (CP) - Alberta's auditor general says provincial health-care cards are being misused in a fraudulent manner that is costing the province millions of dollars....More

Alta. university islet transplant research program shares $75-m US grant

EDMONTON (CP) - A University of Alberta islet transplant research program that has proven hopeful for patients with Type 1 diabetes will share a $75-million US grant from the American-based National Institutes of Health....More

Public Health Agency of Canada warns of health defect in Manitoba-bred hamsters

OTTAWA (CP) - The Public Health Agency of Canada is warning Canadians in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and northwestern Ontario who have purchased a dwarf/pigmy or regular hamster in the past three months of a potential health concern. ...More

Federal briefing note says Ottawa, not Winnipeg, best place for health agency

OTTAWA (CP) - Canada's new public health agency should have been headquartered in Ottawa to avoid the problems the United States experienced when it located its own agency away from Washington, D.C., says a Health Canada briefing note. ...More

Ont health minister says proposal to cut drug costs not a 'bribe' to doctors

TORONTO (CP) - Ontario Health Minister George Smitherman denied Saturday that the province is trying to bribe doctors into cutting prescription drug costs to the poor and elderly, saying the proposal is meant to curb the over-prescription of medication to seniors. ...More

To find valuable stem cells, some scientists focus on fat

(AP) - Dr. Robert Ersek, a 66-year-old plastic surgeon, invited reporters to his Texas operating room recently and, in front of their cameras, proceeded to liposuction himself. ...More

U.S. researchers report emergence of epidemic strain of C. difficile

TORONTO (CP) - A strain of C. difficile with properties linked to increased virulence has become predominant in several U.S. hospitals, prompting researchers to suggest that bacteria strain may be responsible for the sharp increase in cases and severity of disease in parts of the United States. ...More

U.S. researchers report emergence of epidemic strain of C. difficile

TORONTO (CP) - A strain of C. difficile with properties linked to increased virulence has become predominant in several U.S....More

To find valuable stem cells, some scientists focus on fat

(AP) - Dr. Robert Ersek, a 66-year-old plastic surgeon, invited reporters to his Texas operating room recently and, in front of their cameras, proceeded to liposuction himself....More

Public Health Agency of Canada warns of health defect in Manitoba-bred hamsters

OTTAWA (CP) - The Public Health Agency of Canada is warning Canadians in British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba and northwestern Ontario who have purchased a dwarf/pigmy or regular hamster in the past three months of a potential health concern....More

Girl dies of bird flu, bringing Thailand's death toll from the disease to 11

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - A nine-year-old girl has died of bird flu in northern Thailand, raising the country's death toll from the disease to 11, a Health Ministry official said Monday....More

Federal briefing note says Ottawa, not Winnipeg, best place for health agency

OTTAWA (CP) - Canada's new public health agency should have been headquartered in Ottawa to avoid the problems the United States experienced when it located its own agency away from Washington, D.C., says a Health Canada briefing note....More

170,000 runners, walkers and joggers attend breast cancer run across Canada

(CP) - More than 170,000 Canadians, many of them survivors, ran, walked, cheered or volunteered Sunday as part of the largest single-day fundraising event for breast cancer in Canada. The Run - in its 13th year - raised $19.2 million to boost breast cancer research and programs....More

Asian death toll from bird flu reaches 31 as Indonesia deals with resurgence

BANGKOK, Thailand (AP) - The human toll from bird flu reached 31 on Monday when Thailand confirmed a nine-year-old girl died from the disease, while Indonesia announced it was among the countries still struggling with Asia's continuing outbreaks....More

Smoking by mothers may increase risk of colic in babies: report

CHICAGO (AP) - Mothers who smoke during or after pregnancy increase their babies' risk of developing colic, those vexing, inconsolable crying spells that affect up to 20 per cent of babies in their first few months of life, researchers say....More

Schwarzenegger vetoes bill to allow Canadian drug imports

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (AP) - California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger struck down a bill Thursday that would have helped Californians buy low-cost Canadian drugs....More

Scientists discover which patients benefit from brain cancer drug, which don't

LONDON (AP) - A simple genetic test can identify which patients with deadly brain tumours will be helped by a treatment hailed as the first significant advance against the disease in decades and in which patients the drug is a waste of time, scientists said Wednesday....More

General Mills to make all U.S. cereals whole-grain to improve health factor

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - General Mills Inc. is converting all of its U.S. breakfast cereals to whole grain, making it the latest food company to undergo a nutritional makeover amid growing pressure from the government and consumer groups....More

Maine announces plan to import lower-priced prescription drugs from Canada

AUGUSTA, Maine (AP) - Gov. John Baldacci announced programs Thursday to lower prescription drug prices for more than 300,000 Mainers, including one that allows the Penobscot Indians to distribute drugs imported from Canada....More

Merck recalls major arthritis drug because it raises heart attack risk

TRENTON, N.J. (CP) - Vioxx, the blockbuster arthritis drug taken by tens of millions of people, was pulled from the market by its maker Thursday after a study found it doubled the risk of heart attacks and strokes....More

Doctors worry as drug-resistant staph infects more healthy people

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - Flesh-eating bacteria cases, fatal pneumonia and life-threatening heart infections suddenly are popping up around the United States, striking healthy people and stunning their doctors....More

Assault, disease, among hazards reported by strippers in new report

MONTREAL (CP) - Strippers in Canada's two largest cities face aggressive clients, unsafe stages and clubs that don't meet fire codes, says a study released on Thursday....More

Fewer West Nile cases this year but virus is still out there, experts say

TORONTO (CP) - With no deaths and just 25 human cases in four provinces, it's tempting to think that Canada has dodged the bullet from the big gun that was the threat of West Nile virus this year....More