Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore says an infant born prematurely and infected with measles has died in southwestern Ontario.
More coming.
Health Matters: Doctor discusses measles, ticks, sunscreen and more
Health Matters: Doctor discusses measles, ticks, sunscreen and more
Ontario Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Kieran Moore says an infant born prematurely and infected with measles has died in southwestern Ontario.
More coming.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
Two lots of Seasonale birth control medication are being recalled by the manufacturer after it received a complaint that they contained extra placebo pills.
Teva Canada Ltd. said it received a complaint that a package contained an extra row of placebos when there should only be one row of white pills.
“Taking placebo pills instead of active (pink) pills may reduce the effectiveness of the product and could lead to an unintended pregnancy,” the recall notice posted by Health Canada says.
Seasonale pills come packaged in a dispenser that contains a 13-week, or 91-day, supply divided into three blister cards, each on its own tray.
The first two trays each hold 28 active pills, while the third tray has 35 pills — 28 pink pills and seven white placebo pills.
The two lots in question, however, have an extra row of white placebo pills on the second tray.
The lot numbers being recalled are 100059661 with an expiry date of Jan. 31, 2026, and 100069150 with a Sept. 30, 2026 expiry.
According to the Health Canada recall notice, Seasonale should be taken daily unless directed otherwise by the person who prescribed the medication.
Instructions that come with the product say that taking the pills in the proper order is important to prevent pregnancy, and taking a placebo out of order could lead to unplanned pregnancy, as well as other side effects, including spotting and irregular bleeding.
Those using the pills are also advised to check the package and if it contains any placebos in the first two trays to not take them and return them to the pharmacy for a replacement or alternative product.
“If you cannot get to a pharmacy right away, take the next active (pink) pill in the proper order as noted in the instructions until you are able to contact your pharmacist and obtain a replacement or alternative product,” the Health Canada notice says.
Anyone who took a placebo instead of active pill from tray one or two, or if you’re unsure, should use another method of non-hormonal backup contraception, such as condoms, and consult your health-care professional.
© 2025 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
The Trump administration announced on Tuesday that it would revoke guidance to the nation’s hospitals that directed them to provide emergency abortions for women when they are necessary to stabilize their medical condition.
That guidance was issued to hospitals in 2022, weeks after the U.S. Supreme Court upended national abortion rights in the U.S. It was an effort by the Biden administration to preserve abortion access for extreme cases in which women were experiencing medical emergencies and needed an abortion to prevent organ loss or severe hemorrhaging, among other serious complications.
The Biden administration had argued that hospitals — including ones in states with near-total bans — needed to provide emergency abortions under the Emergency Medical Treatment and Active Labor Act. That law requires emergency rooms that receive Medicare dollars to provide an exam and stabilizing treatment for all patients. Nearly all emergency rooms in the U.S. rely on Medicare funds.
The Trump administration announced on Tuesday that it would no longer enforce that policy.
The move prompted concerns from some doctors and abortion rights advocates that women will not get emergency abortions in states with strict bans.
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“The Trump Administration would rather women die in emergency rooms than receive life-saving abortions,” Nancy Northup, president and CEO of the Center for Reproductive Rights, said in a statement. “In pulling back guidance, this administration is feeding the fear and confusion that already exists at hospitals in every state where abortion is banned. Hospitals need more guidance, not less, to stop them from turning away patients experiencing pregnancy crises.”
Anti-abortion advocates, meanwhile, praised the announcement. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of SBA Pro-Life America, said in a statement that the Biden-era policy had been a way to expand abortion access in states where it was banned.
“Democrats have created confusion on this fact to justify their extremely unpopular agenda for all-trimester abortion,” she said. “In situations where every minute counts, their lies lead to delayed care and put women in needless, unacceptable danger.”
An Associated Press investigation last year found that, even with the Biden administration’s guidance, dozens of pregnant women were being turned away from emergency rooms, including some who needed emergency abortions.
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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, which provides oversight of hospitals, said in a statement that it will continue to enforce the federal law that, “including for identified emergency medical conditions that place the health of a pregnant woman or her unborn child in serious jeopardy.”
But CMS added that it would also “rectify any perceived legal confusion and instability created by the former administration’s actions.”
The Biden administration sued Idaho over its abortion law that initially only allowed abortions to save the life of the mother. The federal government had argued before the U.S. Supreme Court last year that Idaho’s law was in conflict with the federal law, which requires stabilizing treatment that prevents a patient’s condition from worsening.
The U.S. Supreme Court issued a procedural ruling in the case last year that left key questions unanswered about whether doctors in abortion-ban states can terminate pregnancies when a woman is at risk of serious infection, organ loss or hemorrhage.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
Bad air quality is linked to poor health outcomes and the development or worsening of some chronic diseases.
“Things like asthma, cough, headaches — we know that over time (smoke exposure) can increase your risk of things like respiratory infections. It can also increase your risk for long-term disease like lung cancer if you have high exposure,” said Jamie Happy, the health promotion coordinator with Alberta Lung.
June 4 is Clean Air Day in Canada and Happy said right now, the awareness they are trying to raise is especially important as fires blaze across the west.
“Air quality is important because we all breathe every day, every minute of every day,” said Salina Fairbank, the engagement coordinator with Alberta Capital Airshed.
]]>Doctors warn about short, long term impacts of poor air quality from wildfires
The not-for-profit organization monitors air quality in the Edmonton region and the data collected at the Alberta Capital Airshed’s continuous monitoring stations is used to help calculate the Air Quality Health Index, or AQHI.
The AQHI indicates the level of pollution in a community. A rating of 1-3 is low risk, 4-6 is moderate risk, 7-10 is high risk and over 10 is very high risk.
“Clean air quality is definitely becoming more of an awareness concern because we are experiencing more wildfire seasons that are increasing,” Happy said. “They’re longer, they start earlier, they get worse. We’re noticing a lot more air quality alerts.
But one doesn’t need to wait until the sky is dark Apocalypse orange and the air is thick with burning campfire smells to take action to protect their health — the damage can begin well before that.
“Check the air quality and if it’s over five, six, seven, that’s when you need to pay attention. That means air quality could be bad, even if the sky looks clear,” Happy said.
Some particles from fires, chemicals and pollution are so small they can’t be seen, but Happy said they can still cause damage and inflammation when they’re inhaled deep into lung tissue.
Health experts have said the very fine particulate matter can be absorbed into the bloodstream and have impacts on a person’s brain as well.
Growing wildfire threats extend beyond fire lines to smoke, health risks
Happy said as soon as the AQHI hits five or higher, people should consider limiting their time outdoors or wearing a N95 mask, and once inside, take steps to rid themselves of contaminants like changing clothes, washing their face, and running air filters via HEPA or HVAC systems.
Many people with asthma or other chronic conditions — as well as infants, young children, pregnant people and seniors — feel the effects of smoke and other air pollution at lower levels than people who are very healthy.
Kids are especially susceptible due to their biology, Happy explained — both now and over the long term.
“They have a smaller respiratory system. They breathe faster than we do. So their concentration of pollution is actually higher than an adult’s and over time, this can affect their development,” Happy explained.
In addition to asthma, research has shown that wildfire smoke is associated with more hospital visits for both children and adults with other lung conditions, such as viral infections, pneumonia and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), as well as heart attacks and strokes.
“This affects the youth, seniors, as well as people with lung disease, heart disease. Anyone with a lowered immune system tends to be considered higher risk. They would be the ones we’d want them to watch the alert a little bit earlier,” Happy said.
Some of the first signs someone may be reacting to smoke particles include:
- Itchy eyes
- Sore throat
- Cough
- Nasal congestion
- Stuffy nose
- Headache
While wildfires are a natural part of the boreal forest ecosystem, a growing number of studies have documented how climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, is making them larger and more intense — and contributing more to air pollution.
The fires churn out more fine particle pollution, known as PM2.5, and it’s a particularly harmful component of wildfire smoke. It’s tiny enough to get deep into the lungs and in the long run, can have serious health effects. PM 2.5 comes from a wide range of sources, including power plants and vehicles.
Canadians can track concentration of wildfire smoke by particulate size using Environment and Climate Change Canada’s Fire Works map.
A 2024 study estimated the number of smoke-related deaths from wildfires linked to climate change has soared since the 1960s.
The study estimates, using mathematical modeling, that about 12,566 annual wildfire smoke-related deaths in the 2010s were linked to climate change, up from about 669 in the 1960s, when far less carbon dioxide was concentrated in the atmosphere.
Translated to a proportion of wildfire smoke mortality overall, the study estimates about 13 per cent of estimated excess deaths in the 2010s were linked to climate change, compared to about 1.2 per cent in the 1960s.
Last year, Environment Canada changed up its colour-coded Air Quality Health Index to improve how air quality-related health risks are communicated and understood by the public. The change was prompted by a “record number” of AQHI 10+ scores during the 2023 wildfire season.
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The wildfires torching buildings and forcing thousands of people from their homes in Western Canada are also creating smoke hazards stretching into the United States.
Natalie Hasell of Environment Canada said on Wednesday that wildfire smoke from British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Manitoba has travelled as far as Texas in the United States.
Hassell said smoke from wildfires in Ontario and Quebec may have also drifted south to Michigan and the eastern seaboard.
Environment Canada has issued bulletins warning of poor air quality in parts of Alberta, northern Manitoba and Saskatchewan, where wildfires have forced more than 30,000 people from their homes.
— with files from The Canadian Press and Emily Mertz
U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has directed the Food and Drug Administration to review the nutrients and other ingredients in infant formula, which fills the bottles of millions of American babies. The effort, dubbed “Operation Stork Speed,” is the first deep look at the ingredients since 1998.
“The FDA will use all resources and authorities at its disposal to make sure infant formula products are safe and wholesome for the families and children who rely on them,” Kennedy said.
About three-quarters of U.S. infants consume formula during the first six months of life, with about 40% receiving it as their only source of nutrition, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Formula has been widely used in the U.S. for roughly six decades, feeding generations of infants who have flourished, said Dr. Steven Abrams, a University of Texas infant nutrition expert.
The broader scientific community has been calling for a reevaluation of infant formula for years and is “fully supportive of this idea of a comprehensive look,” he said.
Current formula products in the U.S. continue to be safe and nourishing, he said.
“But there’s been a lot of science and we want the FDA rules to align with the most recent science from around the world,” he said.
Here’s what you need to know about Operation Stork Speed:
Infant formula is a manufactured product, usually made from cow’s milk or soy, that is intended to mimic human breast milk for kids up age 12 months. It may be the sole source of nutrition or supplement breastfeeding.
FDA regulations require that infant formulas contain 30 specific nutrients, with minimum levels for all and maximum levels for 10 of them.
The ingredients vary, but all formulas must have a balance of calories from protein, carbohydrates and fat that mirrors what’s found in human milk.
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Federal guidelines recommend that babies be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life and that parents continue breastfeeding for the first year or more while adding new foods to the child’s diet.
Parents use formula when a mother cannot or chooses not to breastfeed for a wide range of reasons, including medical conditions, work conflicts, to allow other family members to help with feedings and other situations.
Kennedy announced the review of infant formula in March as part of his “Make America Healthy Again” agenda for the U.S. food supply.
The FDA’s review will include increased testing for heavy metals and other contaminants as well as a review of nutrients, the agencies said.
U.S. health officials will hold a two-hour roundtable discussion of infant formula on Wednesday.
The FDA is asking for new scientific data and information about whether required ingredients in infant formula should be added, removed or changed. The deadline for comments is Sept. 11.
Scientists say a review is long overdue regarding the most recent data on the composition of human milk and how babies digest and absorb nutrients in breastmilk and formula.
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In addition, they want the FDA to consider how U.S. formulas compare with those made elsewhere, said Bridget Young, who studies infant nutrition at the University of Rochester.
“How do our regulations differ?” she said. “Maybe it’s time for them to relook at their regulations and consider potential international harmonization.”
More international alignment might have eased the U.S. infant formula crisis in 2022, when contamination shut down an Abbott factory, leading to monthslong shortages for American parents, Young said.
In recent years, some parents have sought out infant formula made in Europe with the belief that products made overseas are healthier options, experts said.
Formula regulations in the U.S. and Europe, including requirements for nutrients and testing, differ somewhat, but are generally similar, Abrams said.
“The differences between the U.S. and Europe should not be considered as ‘higher’ or ‘better’ or ‘greater’ in one vs. the other,” he said.
Still, iron, for instance, is included at higher levels in U.S. formulas than in those in Europe — and Abrams suggested that U.S. officials may consider lowering iron targets.
Other components have been added to formula in recent years. They include docosahexaenoic acid, or DHA, an essential omega-3 fatty acid, and human milk oligosaccharides, complex sugars that are found breast milk but not in cow’s milk. Although they may be beneficial, they are not required.
“These have been added to some formulas, but not to other formulas, so we want to take a look,” Abrams explained.
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Many parents have raised concerns over formula ingredients such as added sugars and seed oils, which are also being targeted by Kennedy as hazards in the wider food supply.
Recent research suggests that added sugars such as glucose and corn syrup solids in infant formula may be linked to weight gain in children. Young said that most experts agree that lactose, the primary type of sugar found in breast milk, is preferred.
Infant formulas in the U.S. do contain seed oils, Young said. But that’s because there are a finite number of vegetable oils that provide the essential saturated and unsaturated fats that babies require.
“They need to provide the variety of fatty acids that you see in breast milk,” she said.
Done properly, the FDA’s infant formula review would take “at least a year,” Abrams said. And it will require broad input from multiple government agencies, formula manufacturers and consumers.
“No shortcuts are possible and no one review, white paper or even committee report will suffice to do it right,” he said.
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