Steve Anthony: True Canadian Pharmacy

First Nations could soon form their own health regions, own their own pharmacies and control their own health information and research, say members of a new task force.
On Friday afternoon, members of the Medicine Chest Task Force and various First Nations chiefs from across the province gathered at the First Nations University of Canada’s Saskatoon campus to announce a series of partnerships with the university and others.
We’re building capacity !–more– in First Nations country. We have inherent rights and we’re taking responsibility for ourselves, said Red Pheasant First Nation Chief Sheldon Wuttunee.

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p Like everyone else, students, teachers and other staff should stay home if they are feeling sick, the WHO said. Australia on Friday reported its first case of drug-resistant H1N1, which would raise the tally to 22. On Thursday, the U. But last month, the Public Health Agency of Canada said there is no point closing schools unless the severity of swine flu cases increases, if there aren’t enough teachers coming to work or many students are sick. !–more– If students congregate in a setting other than a school, they will continue to spread the virus, and the benefits of school closure will be greatly reduced, if not negated, the statement said. The H1N1 virus has killed nearly 3,000 people since emerging last April. The number of reported cases resistant to the antiviral Tamiflu or oseltamivir is 21, the agency said in its weekly report. It’s only worth closing schools to slow the spread of the H1N1 pandemic virus during the earliest stages of an outbreak, the World Health Organization said Friday. S. [S]chool closure has its greatest benefits when schools are closed very early in an outbreak, ideally before one per cent of the population falls ill, the UN health agency said in a statement advising its 193 member states. It is now the main flu strain circulating in both hemispheres, according to the WHO. Health officials are watching for signs that the virus may be mutating in a way to make the antiviral ineffective.
Health officials are concerned that hospitals and health facilities could be overwhelmed by people needing medical care during the peak of the global outbreak. Under ideal conditions, school closure can reduce the demand for health care by an estimated 30 to 50 per cent at the peak of the pandemic. So far, Tamiflu and Relenza, another antiviral, are considered effective against the H1N1 virus. The United States and Britain have advised schools to stay open except under exceptional circumstances, given that it’s thought that school closures do not help reduce the number of cases but spread them out over a longer time while keeping parents, including health care workers, away from work. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported what could be Tamiflu-resistant flu virus spreading from person to person. Schools should also designate spaces to isolate those who fall ill while at school. Proper cleaning, ventilation and measures to reduce crowding are recommended, along with hand hygiene and repiratory etiquette, WHO said. WHO also said Friday that swine flu has claimed at least 3,205 people worldwide. It usually causes mild symptoms, but pregnant women and those having underlying medical conditions are at higher risk. Most resistant viruses were found in people who had been taking the antiviral to prevent infection or treat it. During school closures, officials should also try to limit students from congregating elsewhere socially, such as malls.

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p In the past, however, health watchers have expressed concerned that sufficient drug supplies will only be available in the later fall, calling into question which groups will get the existing vaccine. Worse still, the United Nations agency has said there will likely not be enough of the serum to go around. Canada is in the process of prioritizing high-risk groups to receive the vaccine, and we strongly believe that a number of our communities !–more– should be prioritized, he said. The World Health Organization now predicts that a vaccine for the virus will not be ready for general use before November instead of an earlier fall forecast. Canada’s Aboriginal Peoples need to be guaranteed access to drugs to treat the H1N1 virus in the face of a looming vaccine shortage, the Assembly of First Nations said Friday. Manitoba has faced particularly troublesome outbreaks of swine flu in remote aboriginal communities in the past couple months. With an apparent shortage of drugs to deal with the so-called swine flu, aboriginal men and women need to have access to the serum, according to the AFN’s health representative. Since the outbreak of the swine flu pandemic earlier this year, Canada has seen 10,156 swine flu cases nationally, with 45 deaths. Recently, Canada’s chief public health officer, David Butler-Jones, noted that this country is one of the few that actually can get enough H1N1 vaccine to meet the needs of its own population. Recent statistics from Manitoba peg the infection level among First Nations there at more than 20 times the rate among the overall population, 135 per 100,000 people versus 6. The infection rate among aboriginal Canadians is higher than in the general population, the organization said. We are seeing an alarming trend of a greater severity of disease among First Nations, especially in remote communities, largely because of pre-existing health conditions and poor living conditions, said Chief Angus Toulouse. 1 cases per 100,000 for the province, the AFN said.

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FOCUS ON NEPHROLOGIC DISORDERS
     Edward F. Foote, Section
Advisor
An analysis of safety dat a from 236
patients showed that the addition of shor t-term, low-dose gentamicin
therapy to antistaphylococcal penicillins or vancomycin for the
management of
bacteremia and native valve
endocarditis increases the risk of renal adverse events.
Cosgrove and colleagues analyzed
safety data from a larger, randomized, active-control (more…)

FOCUS ON NEPHROLOGIC DISORDERS
     Edward F. Foote, Section
Advisor
An analysis of safety data from 236
patients showed that the addition of s hort-term, low-dose gentamicin
therapy to antistaphylococcal penicillins or vancomycin for the
management of
bacteremia and native valve
endocarditis increases the risk of renal adverse events.
Cosgrove and colleagues analyzed
safety data from a large r, randomized, active-control (more…)

Cancer patients in Canada – especially those who live in remote areas – need to be given access to their electronic health records to ensure they get the best treatment, say the authors of a new report card on cancer in Canada.
The Cancer Advocacy Coalition of Canada says in its annual report card that patients are not getting enough access to their own medical records.
The CACC conducted a survey of oncology clinics located more than two hours (more…)

A district medical officer is worried that some southern New Brunswick pharmacies are making it more difficult to tackle the region’s high rate of teen pregnancy.
Dr. Scott Giffin, medical officer of health in Saint John, made his comments after a survey of drugstores between Sussex and St. Stephen found that many are still selling the morning-after pill from behind the pharmacist’s counter, instead of off the shelf.
‘We’re trying to make it as (more…)

A pair of young doctors in Vermont got the cold shoulder from recruiters in central Newfoundland after they inquired about work opportunities in the region, the province’s health minister says.
Ross Wiseman said two physicians in Vermont should have at least received a warmer reception from officials in Newfoundland and Labrador.
General practitioner Christa Mindrum, who grew up in Conception Bay South and who trained at Memorial University’s (more…)

Health Minister Ross Wiseman: ‘Every time there’s an issue, we don’t need to be jumping to an inquiry.’
Newfoundland and Labrador’s health minister has spurned a call for an inquiry into the treatment of adolescents with serious mental health problems.
Lawyer Bob Buckingham, who is advocating on behalf of three families of teenagers who attempted suicide, said a full, independent inquiry is needed to investigate the management of mental health (more…)