However, you can get one earlier if you have a recommendation from your health-care provider
A health worker administers a dose of a COVID-19 vaccine during a vaccination clinic. (file photo)
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Sudbury’s health unit is gearing up a series of clinics this month to help people stay up to date or get caught up on their COVID-19 vaccination shots.
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For those who need a COVID-19 booster dose, Public Health Sudbury and Districts said Monday it recommends they consider waiting until the fall to get their vaccine. This is consistent with recommendations released by the Ontario Ministry of Health.
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“Doing so will provide greater protection before the typical increase of respiratory illnesses in the fall and winter months,” it said in a release.
For anyone starting, completing, or re-starting a primary COVID-19 series, contact Public Health to book an appointment “as soon as possible.”
People can also choose to receive their booster dose before the fall based on their health status and personal situation, and in consultation with their health-care provider.
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“Before booking an appointment for a booster dose, speak to your health care provider to determine if you should get your booster dose sooner than this fall,” the health unit said. “Booster dose appointments will be made available for those who have received a recommendation from a health care provider or Public Health.”
Public Health continues to offer COVID-19 vaccination at its office locations this summer, but by appointment only. People can also check with pharmacies or their primary care providers for additional vaccination opportunities. Clinics include:
Wednesday, Aug. 2
Appointment-only clinics
– Public Health Sudbury and Districts, main office, Sudbury.
– Primary series for those 5 and older.
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– Booster doses by recommendation only.
Wednesday, Aug. 9
Appointment-only clinics
– Public Health Sudbury and Districts, main office, Sudbury
– Primary series for those 6 months of age and older.
– Booster doses by recommendation only.
Thursday, Aug. 10
Appointment-only clinics
– Public Health Sudbury and Districts, Espanola Office, Espanola
– Primary series for those 6 months of age and older.
– Booster doses by recommendation only.
Tuesday, Aug. 15
Appointment-only clinics
– Public Health Sudbury and Districts, Manitoulin Island Office, Mindemoya
– Primary series for those 6 months of age and older.
– Booster doses by recommendation only.
Wednesday, Aug. 16
Appointment-only clinics
– Public Health Sudbury and Districts, main office, Sudbury
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– Primary series for those 5 and older.
– Booster doses by recommendation only.
– Public Health Sudbury and Districts, Chapleau Office, Chapleau
– Primary series for those 6 months of age and older.
– Booster doses by recommendation only.
Wednesday, Aug. 23
Appointment-only clinics
– Public Health Sudbury and Districts, main office, Sudbury
– Primary series for those 6 months of age and older.
– Booster doses by recommendation only.
Wednesday, Aug. 30
Appointment-only clinics
– Public Health Sudbury and Districts, main office, Sudbury
– Primary series for those 5 and older and older.
– Booster doses by recommendation only.
To book an appointment, call 705-522-9200 (toll-free 1-866-522-9200). COVID-19 vaccination opportunities are also available through local pharmacies or your primary care provider.
sud.editorial@sunmedia.ca
Twitter: @SudburyStar
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WASHINGTON (AP) — The National Institutes of Health is beginning a handful of studies to test possible treatments for long COVID, an anxiously awaited step in U.S. efforts against the mysterious condition that afflicts millions.
Monday’s announcement from the NIH’s $1.15 billion RECOVER project comes amid frustration from patients who’ve struggled for months or even years with sometimes-disabling health problems — with no proven treatments and only a smattering of rigorous studies to test potential ones.
“This is a year or two late and smaller in scope than one would hope but nevertheless it’s a step in the right direction,” said Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly of Washington University in St. Louis, who isn’t involved with NIH’s project but whose own research highlighted long COVID’s toll. Getting answers is critical, he added, because “there’s a lot of people out there exploiting patients’ vulnerability” with unproven therapies.
Scientists don’t yet know what causes long COVID, the catchall term for about 200 widely varying symptoms. Between 10% and 30% of people are estimated to have experienced some form of long COVID after recovering from a coronavirus infection, a risk that has dropped somewhat since early in the pandemic.
“If I get 10 people, I get 10 answers of what long COVID really is," U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Xavier Becerra said.
That's why so far the RECOVER initiative has tracked 24,000 patients in observational studies to help define the most common and burdensome symptoms –- findings that now are shaping multipronged treatment trials. The first two will look at:
— Whether taking up to 25 days of Pfizer's antiviral drug Paxlovid could ease long COVID, because of a theory that some live coronavirus, or its remnants, may hide in the body and trigger the disorder. Normally Paxlovid is used when people first get infected and for just five days.
— Treatments for “brain fog” and other cognitive problems. They include Posit Science Corp.’s BrainHQ cognitive training program, another called PASC-Cognitive Recovery by New York City’s Mount Sinai Health System, and a Soterix Medical device that electrically stimulates brain circuits.
Two additional studies will open in the coming months. One will test treatments for sleep problems. The other will target problems with the autonomic nervous system — which controls unconscious functions like breathing and heartbeat — including the disorder called POTS.
A more controversial study of exercise intolerance and fatigue also is planned, with NIH seeking input from some patient groups worried that exercise may do more harm than good for certain long COVID sufferers.
The trials are enrolling 300 to 900 adult participants for now but have the potential to grow. Unlike typical experiments that test one treatment at a time, these more flexible “platform studies” will let NIH add additional potential therapies on a rolling basis.
“We can rapidly pivot,” Dr. Amy Patterson with the NIH explained. A failing treatment can be dropped without ending the entire trial and “if something promising comes on the horizon, we can plug it in.”
The flexibility could be key, according to Dr. Anthony Komaroff, a Harvard researcher who isn’t involved with the NIH program but has long studied a similarly mysterious disorder known as chronic fatigue syndrome or ME/CFS. For example, he said, the Paxlovid study “makes all sorts of sense,” but if a 25-day dose shows only hints of working, researchers could extend the test to a longer course instead of starting from scratch.
Komaroff also said that he understands people's frustration over the wait for these treatment trials, but believes NIH appropriately waited “until some clues came in about the underlying biology," adding: “You’ve got to have targets.”
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The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Getting older doesn’t mean becoming frail, but it does increase the risk of frailty, a condition characterized by declines in muscle strength, energy and speed.
Social isolation, multiple medications and physical inactivity contribute to frailty. So does eating a poor diet.
Many studies, for example, have associated a healthy dietary pattern with a lower risk of frailty.
Now, research published this month in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition adds to mounting evidence that diet can help guard against frailty.
According to the findings, adding more apples, blueberries, broccoli and onions to your regular diet – foods high in flavonols – is key. And one flavonol in particular, quercetin, appears especially protective.
What is frailty?
Doctors use a screening tool called the Fried Frailty Tool to identify frailty. People are considered frail if they have at least three of five of the following characteristics: unintentional weight loss in the past year (at least five per cent of body weight), muscle loss and weakness, exhaustion, low walking speed and low levels of physical activity.
People with frailty have a greater vulnerability to larger declines in health from minor stressors like the flu or a fall compared to what is expected based on their age alone.
According to Statistics Canada, about 25 per cent of people over 65 and half over 80 live with frailty, while another 32 per cent are considered pre-frail. People with pre-frailty have one or two of the characteristics of frailty.
Flavonoids, flavonols and quercetin
Flavonols belong to one of the six major subclasses of flavonoids, a large family of over 5,000 plant compounds found in vegetables, fruit, tea, cocoa, herbs, red wine, soybeans and pulses.
The flavonol group includes four compounds, one of which is quercetin. You’ll find quercetin in many plant foods including apples, asparagus, broccoli, kale, spinach, onions, dill, parsley, fennel, blueberries, cherries and cranberries.
The flavonol-frailty link
The recent study included 1,701 middle-aged and older adults who took part in the Framingham Heart Study, a long-term multi-generational study.
Participants, with an average age of 58, were followed for 12 years. They did not have frailty at the study’s onset.
Dietary information was collected at the outset to calculate participants’ intake of total flavonoids, flavonoid subclasses and specific types of flavonoids (such as quercetin).
Over the 12 years, 224 individuals developed frailty. While a higher intake of total flavonoids wasn’t associated with frailty risk, a higher intake flavonols was found to be protective.
Each 10 mg per day of higher flavonol intake was tied to a 20-per-cent lower risk of frailty onset during the study.
This association appeared to be driven by quercetin. Each 10 mg per day of higher quercetin intake was associated with a 35-per-cent lower odds of developing frailty.
The findings did not change after the researchers accounted for other possible risk factors such as age, smoking, calorie intake, depressive symptom severity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
You’ll find 10 mg of quercetin in seven cherries, one-half cup of blueberries, three-quarters of a cup of chopped broccoli, 1.25 cups of raw spinach, 1.5 medium-sized apples (250 g) and 3.5 cups of raw kale. Other good sources include arugula, red onions, green onions and watercress.
This study was observational and, therefore, doesn’t prove that flavonol- or quercetin-rich foods prevent frailty. It’s possible that other nutritional factors in these foods, or a healthy diet, influenced these findings.
How flavonols support healthy aging
Inflammation has been implicated as a key contributor to developing frailty.
Oxidative stress, an imbalance between harmful free radicals and antioxidants in the body, accumulates during aging and increases inflammation. Over time, elevated levels of inflammation can lead to loss of muscle tissue and muscle strength.
Owing to their strong antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties, consuming a flavonol-rich diet can lower oxidative stress and may help prevent frailty.
Past studies have associated both Mediterranean-style and anti-inflammatory diets, both plentiful in flavonoids and other antioxidants, with frailty prevention.
An optimal protein intake is especially important to help prevent loss of muscle mass and strength that can lead to frailty. (Of course, resistance training is crucial too.)
Some research has also linked higher intakes of carotenoids, important antioxidants, to a reduced risk of frailty. Carotenoids include beta-carotene (carrots, sweet potato, mango, spinach), lutein and zeaxanthin (spinach, kale, Swiss chard), lycopene (tomato sauce, tomato juice, watermelon) and beta-cryptoxanthin (pumpkin, papaya, red bell pepper).
Leslie Beck, a Toronto-based private practice dietitian, is director of food and nutrition at Medcan. Follow her on Twitter@LeslieBeckRD
The Halton Region has reported the detection of West Nile Virus (WNV) in six batches of mosquitoes trapped this week. These positive samples mark the first WNV-positive mosquitoes in Halton this year.
Experts warn that urban areas are more susceptible to hosting mosquitoes that carry the West Nile Virus. The specific mosquito types that most commonly transmit the virus to humans tend to breed in urban environments, such as areas with bird baths, plant pots, old toys, and tires that accumulate stagnant water.
While many individuals infected with WNV may not show symptoms, some may experience fever, headache, body aches, joint pains, vomiting, diarrhea, or a rash. Although most cases result in complete recovery, a few people may develop severe illnesses affecting the central nervous system, such as encephalitis (inflammation of the brain) or meningitis (inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord). Individuals with specific medical conditions, such as cancer, diabetes, hypertension, and kidney disease, and those over 50 are at higher risk of experiencing severe disease.
In light of the recent findings, health authorities in Halton urge residents to take necessary precautions to protect themselves and their families from mosquitoes:
Cover up when venturing outside between dusk and dawn (when mosquitoes are most active) and in shaded, wooded areas. Wearing light-colored, long-sleeved shirts and pants with tightly-woven fabric can help prevent mosquito bites.
Eliminate potential mosquito breeding sites around homes by removing all water-filled containers and objects. Regularly changing the water in bird baths is also recommended.
Use approved insect repellents, such as those containing DEET or Icaridin, to deter mosquitoes.
Ensure window and door screens are intact and without any holes, cuts, or other openings to keep mosquitoes from entering homes.
Halton Region, which serves over 637,000 residents in the City of Burlington, the Town of Halton Hills, the Town of Milton, and the Town of Oakville, is dedicated to providing cost-effective, high-quality programs and services to its residents. These services include water and wastewater management, regional road planning, paramedic services, waste management, public health initiatives, social assistance programs, services for children and seniors, housing assistance, heritage programs, emergency management, and economic development efforts.
Local health authorities and Halton Region officials are closely monitoring the situation and working to ensure the safety and well-being of all residents. They urge the community to stay informed and follow recommended measures to minimize the risk of exposure to West Nile Virus and protect public health.
MOGADISHU, July 28 (Xinhua) -- Somali health authorities and the World Health Organization (WHO) on Friday renewed their commitment to eliminating viral hepatitis in the country.
Somalia's Ministry of Health and the WHO said in a joint statement issued in the Somali capital of Mogadishu to mark World Hepatitis Day that they are working to achieve the global goal of eliminating viral hepatitis by 2030.
"To reach this goal, the WHO supports the federal and state ministries of health in enhancing access to universal health coverage, including hepatitis testing, treatment and vaccines," the WHO said.
The UN health agency has called for scaling up testing and treatment for viral hepatitis, warning that the disease could kill more people than malaria, tuberculosis and HIV combined by 2040 if current infection trends continue.
Aweiys Hersi Hashi, manager of the National Hepatitis Program at the Ministry of Health, lauded the critical support extended by the WHO country office in managing the disease burden of hepatitis in Somalia, including blood transfusion screenings and integrating the vaccine into childhood immunization schedules.
"We are struggling to expand these services to every part of the country, for which we will urge the partners to support the WHO and the ministry to expand the service to ensure the goals of universal health coverage in Somalia could be achieved," Hersi said.
This year, the hepatitis campaign is under the slogan "One Life, One Liver," emphasizing the link between viral hepatitis infection and liver inflammation.
Although the Ministry of Health, together with the WHO and other partners, has made progress in improving access to hepatitis testing and treatment, the road toward elimination is a long one. Limited data availability in Somalia adds to the challenges of combating viral hepatitis despite the progress made in improving access to hepatitis testing and treatment, the WHO said, noting that 2.5 million people in Somalia are estimated to live with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) and C (HCV).
Rogers Busulwa from the WHO country office said collecting data is crucial for understanding the burden of viral hepatitis beyond blood donor populations.
"It is also critical to prioritize the prevention of mother-to-child transmission of hepatitis. There is significant potential to leverage the efforts of the HIV program to support these efforts," Busulwa added.
Hepatitis, a viral infection that primarily affects the liver and can cause lasting damage and inflammation, is a global health concern that particularly affects low- and middle-income countries, including Somalia, according to the WHO.
Limited resources, insufficient healthcare infrastructure, and low awareness all contribute to high transmission rates and limited access to testing and treatment, it said. ■
Summary: A recent study unveils the significance of long-term commitment to the MIND diet in enhancing brain health.
The first randomized clinical trial of its kind, the study observed that short-term cognitive improvements were seen within the first two years, however, no significant difference was noted between the MIND diet and a calorie-restricted control diet over a three-year period. Despite this, the researchers underline that the benefits of the MIND diet likely emerge over a longer period, consistent with earlier observational data.
The MIND diet has been celebrated for its positive effects on brain health, slowing cognitive decline and reducing Alzheimer’s risk.
Key Facts:
The three-year clinical trial showed cognitive improvements in the initial two years for the MIND diet group, but no significant difference when compared to the control diet group by the end of the study.
The study, the first randomized clinical trial designed to test the effects of a diet on cognitive abilities, enlisted individuals 65 years or older without cognitive impairment.
The MIND diet, a combination of the Mediterranean and DASH diets, has been ranked among the top five diets by U.S. News & World Report for six consecutive years.
Source: Rush University
New research shows the importance of long-term commitment to the MIND diet for reaping the greatest benefit to brain health.
“The benefits within the new study’s three-year clinical trial weren’t as impressive as we’ve seen with the MIND diet observational studies in the past, but there were improvements in cognition in the short-term, consistent with the longer-term observational data,” said lead study author Lisa Barnes, PhD, associate director of the Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center at RUSH.
The trial compared two different diet interventions, both of which included dietary counseling with mild calorie restriction of 250 calories per day for weight loss. Credit: Neuroscience News
Results from the study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, showed that within a three-year period, there was no significant statistical difference in change in cognition for participants in the MIND diet group compared to the usual diet control group; both groups were coached to reduce calories by 250 kilocalories per day. But there was a significant improvement during the first two years of the study.
“What we saw was improvement in cognition in both groups, but the MIND diet intervention group had a slightly better improvement in cognition, although not significantly better,” Barnes said.
“Both groups lost approximately 5 kilograms over three years, suggesting that it could have been weight loss that benefited cognition in this trial.”
‘Exciting’ improvement
This is the first randomized clinical trial designed to test the effects of a diet thought to be protective for brain health, on the decline of cognitive abilities among a large group of individuals 65 years or older who did not have cognitive impairment. The MIND diet has been ranked among the top five diets by U.S. News & World Report annually for the last six years.
“There is established research that shows that a person’s diet affects health,” Barnes said. “The participants in this study had to have sub-optimal diets as determined by a score of 8 or less on a diet screening instrument before the study even began. It is reasonable to think that either they were going to maintain their cognition or decrease the rate of cognitive decline in the future.”
“It was exciting to see that there was improvement in cognition over the first year or so, but it could have been due to practice effects on the cognitive tests, and we saw it for the control diet as well, which focused on just caloric restriction.”
Previous research by the late Martha Clare Morris, ScD, showed that there was a slower rate of decline among those who ate specific foods. Morris was a nutritional epidemiologist at RUSH and the original principal investigator of the MIND diet study that was funded by a $14.5 million National Institutes of Health grant and involved two clinical sites, RUSH in Chicago and Harvard School of Public Health in Boston.
In 2015, Morris and her colleagues at RUSH and Harvard University developed the MIND diet — which is short for Mediterranean-DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay — in preparation for the trial.
The diet is based on the most compelling research on the foods and nutrients that affect brain health. As the name suggests, the MIND diet is a hybrid of the Mediterranean and DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diets.
Both diets have been found to reduce the risk of cardiovascular conditions, such as hypertension, diabetes, heart attack and stroke. In two studies published in 2015, Morris and colleagues found that the MIND diet could slow cognitive decline and lower a person’s risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease significantly, even if the diet was not followed meticulously.
Study tracked 604 participants over three years
The latest trial of the MIND Diet for Prevention of Cognitive Decline in Older Persons, was a randomized, Phase III trial that enrolled 604 people who were overweight and had a suboptimal diet and a family history of Alzheimer’s disease.
The trial compared two different diet interventions, both of which included dietary counseling with mild calorie restriction of 250 calories per day for weight loss.
Participants of both groups had individualized diet guidelines developed by dietitians, and they received regular phone and in-person consultations, as well as occasional group sessions over the three-year life of the study.
Participants were seen five times during the three years to evaluate their mental abilities, blood pressure, diet, physical activity, health conditions and medication use.
“Both groups of participants got a lot of support and accountability by trained registered dietitians,” said Jennifer Ventrelle, assistant professor in the Departments of Preventive Medicine and Clinical Nutrition and lead dietitian on the MIND diet trial at RUSH.
“The good news is that this helped all participants improve on average, but unfortunately hindered the ability to detect significant differences between the two groups in this relatively short period of time.
“Current and future research plans to look at people coached to follow the diet in this format compared to individuals following a usual diet in a format closer to usual care such as brief clinical encounters or a self-guided program with less support.”
“By the end of the study, the average weight loss was approximately 5.5% of initial body weight for all participants, exceeding the study target of 3%, the amount recognized as clinically significant to prevent or improve adverse health outcomes,” Ventrelle said.
“The average MIND score at the end of three years for the MIND group was 11.0 and 8.3 for the control group, placing both groups in a therapeutic range to slow cognitive decline and lower a risk for Alzheimer’s disease, according to previous studies.
“The significant weight loss and improved MIND scores suggest that the control group also improved their diet and may suggest that following the MIND diet at a score of at least 8.3, coupled with at least a 250 calorie reduction to produce weight loss, may improve cognition. More research is needed to confirm this.”
Fish, chicken, berries, nuts and leafy greens
The MIND diet has 14 dietary components, including nine “brain-healthy food groups” – such as chicken and fish, green leafy vegetables and berries, and nuts – and five unhealthy groups: red meat, butter and stick margarine, full fat cheese, pastries and sweets, and fried foods.
“Randomized trials are gold standards for establishing a cause-and-effect relationship between diet and incidence of Alzheimer’s disease,” Barnes said.
“These individuals were healthy at the start of the trial and had no cognitive impairment, and their cognition got slightly better over time,” Barnes said.
“Why there was no difference between the two diet groups at the end of the trial could be a result of many factors including that the control group had a relatively healthy diet.
“Moving forward, we will look at specific food groups and their associations with biomarkers that were measured in the blood to see if certain nutrients and food groups are more important than others since the two groups were pretty healthy from a dietary perspective at the start.”
About this diet and cognition research news
Author:Nancy DiFiore Source:Rush University Contact: Nancy DiFiore – Rush University Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Trial of the MIND Diet for Prevention of Cognitive Decline in Older Persons
BACKGROUND
Findings from observational studies suggest that dietary patterns may offer protective benefits against cognitive decline, but data from clinical trials are limited. The Mediterranean–DASH Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay, known as the MIND diet, is a hybrid of the Mediterranean diet and the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet, with modifications to include foods that have been putatively associated with a decreased risk of dementia.
METHODS
We performed a two-site, randomized, controlled trial involving older adults without cognitive impairment but with a family history of dementia, a body-mass index (the weight in kilograms divided by the square of the height in meters) greater than 25, and a suboptimal diet, as determined by means of a 14-item questionnaire, to test the cognitive effects of the MIND diet with mild caloric restriction as compared with a control diet with mild caloric restriction. We assigned the participants in a 1:1 ratio to follow the intervention or the control diet for 3 years.
All the participants received counseling regarding adherence to their assigned diet plus support to promote weight loss. The primary end point was the change from baseline in a global cognition score and four cognitive domain scores, all of which were derived from a 12-test battery. The raw scores from each test were converted to z scores, which were averaged across all tests to create the global cognition score and across component tests to create the four domain scores; higher scores indicate better cognitive performance. The secondary outcome was the change from baseline in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)–derived measures of brain characteristics in a nonrandom sample of participants.
RESULTS
A total of 1929 persons underwent screening, and 604 were enrolled; 301 were assigned to the MIND-diet group and 303 to the control-diet group. The trial was completed by 93.4% of the participants. From baseline to year 3, improvements in global cognition scores were observed in both groups, with increases of 0.205 standardized units in the MIND-diet group and 0.170 standardized units in the control-diet group (mean difference, 0.035 standardized units; 95% confidence interval, −0.022 to 0.092; P=0.23). Changes in white-matter hyperintensities, hippocampal volumes, and total gray- and white-matter volumes on MRI were similar in the two groups.
CONCLUSIONS
Among cognitively unimpaired participants with a family history of dementia, changes in cognition and brain MRI outcomes from baseline to year 3 did not differ significantly between those who followed the MIND diet and those who followed the control diet with mild caloric restriction. (Funded by the National Institute on Aging; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02817074. opens in new tab.)
Are you noticing more bats around your house or property? You are not alone! Mid-summer is the time when landowners typically notice more bat activity, may have bats flying into their house, and occasionally find a bat on the ground or roosting in unusual locations.
Baby bats, called pups, are born hairless, but soon grow fur, begin to fly, and may end up in surprising places. Always wear thick gloves if you must move a grounded bat, and contact the BC Community Bat Program for guidance. Photo by Okanagan Community Bat Program
These surprise visitors are often the young pups.
“In July and August, pups are learning to fly, and their early efforts may land them in locations where they are more likely to come in contact with humans,“ said Elodie Kuhnert, Kootenay coordinator with the Got Bats? BC Community Bat Program. As noticed in the last two years, heat and smoke may also cause bats to use unusual roost sites.
If you find a bat, alive or dead, remember to never touch it with your bare hands.
Bats in B.C. are known to carry rabies at a low level; this is why it is important to avoid any contact. If you must move a bat, use a trowel or similar tool, and always wear leather gloves to protect yourself from direct contact.
Talk to your children to make sure they understand to never touch, play or try to rescue injured or sick-looking bats. If you suspect a bite or scratch from a bat, immediately wash the area with soap and water for 15 minutes.
Also contact your public health or your doctor as soon as possible, or go to the emergency department. For more information on rabies please refer to the BCCDC website.
Bat pups are learning to fly and sometimes are found in odd spots like at the top of this entryway. Leave bats alone and they usually will move on at dusk or after a few days. Photo by E. Zachary.
“Bats are important to our ecology and economy. They are the main consumers of night flying insects. Unfortunately, bats are in trouble, and half of the bat species in BC are listed as ‘at risk’,” said Kuhnert.
Bats are often found in close association with humans, as some species (such as the Little Brown Myotis) have adapted to live in human structures, and colonies may be found under roofs or siding, or in attics, barns, or other buildings. Female bats gather in maternity colonies to have a single pup in early summer, where they will remain until the pups are ready to fly.
“Having bats is viewed as a benefit by many landowners, who appreciate the insect control. Others may prefer to exclude the bats,” said Kuhnert. Under the BC Wildlife Act it is illegal to exterminate or directly harm bats, and exclusion should only be done in the fall and winter after it is determined that the bats are no longer in the building. If you have bats on your property, the BC Community Bat Project can offer advice and support.
You can keep bats out of your living space by keeping doors and windows closed and ensuring window screens do not have any holes. If you find a live bat in a room of your home, open the window and close interior doors until the bat leaves, or follow the steps here.
“Cat predation is a very common cause of death of bats in B.C., which is bad for bat populations and potentially exposes the cats, and their owners, to rabies,” said Kuhnert. Keep cats indoors, particularly overnight when the bats are most active, and ensure all cats are vaccinated for rabies.
For information on safely moving a bat if necessary and to report bat sightings, landowners can visit the Got Bats? BC Community Bat Program’s website (www.bcbats.ca), email [email protected], or call 1-855-9BC-BATS ext. 14.
The BC Community Bat Program is supported by the BC Conservation Foundation, the Habitat Conservation Trust Foundation, the Forest Enhancement Society of BC, the Habitat Stewardship Program, the Government of BC, and the Columbia Basin Trust, the Kootenay Lake and Columbia Valley Local funds, and the Columbia Valley Community Foundation.
Lead image: Bats roosting in exposed locations, such as this bat on a screen door, can be left alone and will usually move on at dusk or after a few days. Photo by V.Troyen
Hepatitis is inflammation of the liver, and symptoms can include muscle and joint pain (Jacob King/PA) (PA Archive)
Over a million lives are lost to hepatitis each year.
World Hepatitis Day is observed on July 28 every year and marks the birthday of Nobel-prize-winning scientist Dr Baruch Blumberg, who discovered the hepatitis B virus (HBV) and developed a diagnostic test and vaccine for the virus.
The symptoms of hepatitis, inflammation of the liver, typically include the following:
muscle and joint pain
a high temperature
feeling and being sick
feeling unusually tired all the time
a general sense of feeling unwell
loss of appetite
tummy pain
dark urine
pale, grey-coloured poo
itchy skin
yellowing of the eyes and skin (jaundice)
What is World Hepatitis Day?
It is a day in which the World Hepatitis Day organisers call on people around the world to take action because "Hepatitis Can’t Wait". It brings the world together under a single theme to raise awareness of the global burden of viral hepatitis and to influence real change.
What is the theme for World Hepatitis Day 2023?
Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver. It is caused by a viral infection, alcohol consumption and other health conditions. Each year, the day has a theme. This year, the theme is "One life, one liver".
There are different types of hepatitis, 5 in total - A, B, C, D and E. Around 354 million people live with chronic hepatitis B and C worldwide, according to WHO. There are different causes for each type. Hepatitis A and E are caused by ingesting contaminated food and water, while Hepatitis B, C and D can spread through transmission of infected body fluids.
How to get a hepatitis screening in London
A hepatitis screening service by the NHS allows tens of thousands of high-risk people to be screened every year, using a mobile unit based out of UCLH (University College London Hospitals).
Professor Alistair Story, founder and clinical lead of the UCLH Find & Treat Service for England said:
“We have the tools and the talent to eliminate Hepatitis C, but the hard miles are ahead. Thousands of people are still unaware of their infection and are struggling to access testing and treatment.
"UCLH Find and Treat outreach team works with the Hep C Trust to put people with lived experience of Hepatitis C at the front of the service providing Peer-led testing and treatment to those most at risk.
“The Peers reach patients who are off the map of mainstream services and build trust, awareness, and understanding. They provide integrated community testing, treatment, and support to address multiple other treatable infections including TB, Hep B, and HIV.
"All these infections are barometers of health inequity in our society. Finding and treating cases is in all our interests and saves lives and valuable health resources. We can and must confine these infections to the history books.”
NEW YORK (AP) - More than 100,000 people in the U.S. have become allergic to red meat since 2010 because of a weird syndrome triggered by tick bites, according to a government report released Thursday. But health officials believe many more have the problem and don't know it.
A second report estimated that as many as 450,000 Americans have developed the allergy. That would make it the 10th most common food allergy in the U.S., said Dr. Scott Commins, a University of North Carolina researcher who co-authored both papers published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Health officials said they are not aware of any confirmed deaths, but people with the allergy have described it as bewildering and terrifying.
“I never connected it with any food because it was hours after eating,” said one patient, Bernadine Heller-Greenman.
The reaction, called alpha-gal syndrome, occurs when an infected person eats beef, pork, venison or other meat from mammals - or ingests milk, gelatin or other mammal products.
It's not caused by a germ but by a sugar, alpha-gal, that is in meat from mammals - and in tick spit. When the sugar enters the body through the skin, it triggers an immune response and can lead to a severe allergic reaction.
Scientists had seen reactions in patients taking a cancer drug that was made in mouse cells containing the alpha-gal sugar. But in 2011 researchers first reported that it could spread through tick bites, too.
They tied it to the lone star tick, which despite its Texas-themed name is most common in the eastern and southern U.S. (About 4% of all U.S. cases have been in the eastern end of New York's Long Island.)
One of the studies released Thursday examined 2017-2022 test results from the main U.S. commercial lab looking for alpha-gal antibodies. They noted the number of people testing positive rose from about 13,000 in 2017 to 19,000 in 2022.
Experts say cases may be up for a variety of reasons, including lone star ticks' expanding range, more people coming into contact with the ticks or more doctors learning about it and ordering tests for it.
But many doctors are not. The second study was a survey last year of 1,500 U.S. primary care doctors and health professionals. The survey found nearly half had never heard of alpha-gal syndrome, and only 5% said they felt very confident they could diagnose it. Researchers used that information to estimate the number of people with the allergy - 450,000.
People with the syndrome can experience symptoms including hives, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, severe stomach pain, difficulty breathing, dizziness and swelling of the lips, throat, tongue or eye lids. Unlike some other food allergies, which occur soon after eating, these reactions hit hours later.
Some patients have only stomach symptoms, and the American Gastroenterological Association says people with unexplained diarrhea, nausea and abdominal pain should be tested for the syndrome.
Doctors counsel people with the allergy to change their diet, carry epinephrine and avoid tick bites.
The allergy can fade away in some people - Commins has seen that happen in about 15% to 20% of his patients. But a key is avoiding being re-bitten.
“The tick bites are central to this. They perpetuate the allergy,” he said.
One of his patients is Heller-Greenman, a 78-year-old New York art historian who spends summers on Martha's Vineyard. She has grown accustomed to getting bitten by ticks on the island and said she has had Lyme disease four times.
About five years ago, she started experiencing terrible, itchy hives on her back, torso and thighs in the middle of the night. Her doctors concluded it was an allergic reaction, but couldn't pinpoint the trigger.
She was never a big meat eater, but one day in January 2020 she had a hamburger and then a big, fatty steak the following evening. Six hours after dinner, she woke up nauseated, then suffered terrible spells of vomiting, diarrhea and dizziness. She passed out three times.
She was diagnosed with alpha-gal syndrome shortly after that, and was told to avoid ticks and to stop eating red meat and dairy products. There have been no allergic reactions since.
“I have one grandchild that watches me like a hawk,” she said, making sure she reads packaged food labels and avoids foods that could trigger a reaction.
“I feel very lucky, really, that this has worked out for me,” she said. “Not all doctors are knowledgeable about this.”
For the second time this season, a batch of mosquitoes is testing positive for West Nile Virus (WNV).
The positive batch was collected from one of the Health Department’s mosquito trap sites in Pickering.
Although the risk of becoming infected is low, the Health Department recommends you take precautions to minimize the risk of mosquito bites and the possibility of being infected with WNV.
Wear shoes, socks, and light-coloured clothing – including long sleeve tops and full-length pants when outside – especially at dusk or dawn when mosquitoes are most active.
Use insect repellent containing DEET or Picaridin on exposed skin.
Remove standing water from your property where mosquitoes can breed.
Ensure window and door screens are in good repair to prevent mosquitoes from entering your home.
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NEW YORK (AP) — More than 100,000 people in the U.S. have become allergic to red meat since 2010 because of a weird syndrome triggered by tick bites, according to a government report released Thursday. But health officials believe many more have the problem and don't know it.
A second report estimated that as many as 450,000 Americans have developed the allergy. That would make it the 10th most common food allergy in the U.S., said Dr. Scott Commins, a University of North Carolina researcher who co-authored both papers published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Health officials said they are not aware of any confirmed deaths, but people with the allergy have described it as bewildering and terrifying.
“I never connected it with any food because it was hours after eating,” said one patient, Bernadine Heller-Greenman.
The reaction, called alpha-gal syndrome, occurs when an infected person eats beef, pork, venison or other meat from mammals — or ingests milk, gelatin or other mammal products.
It’s not caused by a germ but by a sugar, alpha-gal, that is in meat from mammals — and in tick spit. When the sugar enters the body through the skin, it triggers an immune response and can lead to a severe allergic reaction.
Scientists had seen reactions in patients taking a cancer drug that was made in mouse cells containing the alpha-gal sugar. But in 2011 researchers first reported that it could spread through tick bites, too.
They tied it to the lone star tick, which despite its Texas-themed name is most common in the eastern and southern U.S. (About 4% of all U.S. cases have been in the eastern end of New York’s Long Island.)
One of the studies released Thursday examined 2017-2022 test results from the main U.S. commercial lab looking for alpha-gal antibodies. They noted the number of people testing positive rose from about 13,000 in 2017 to 19,000 in 2022.
Experts say cases may be up for a variety of reasons, including lone star ticks' expanding range, more people coming into contact with the ticks or more doctors learning about it and ordering tests for it.
But many doctors are not. The second study was a survey last year of 1,500 U.S. primary care doctors and health professionals. The survey found nearly half had never heard of alpha-gal syndrome, and only 5% said they felt very confident they could diagnose it. Researchers used that information to estimate the number of people with the allergy — 450,000.
People with the syndrome can experience symptoms including hives, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, severe stomach pain, difficulty breathing, dizziness and swelling of the lips, throat, tongue or eye lids. Unlike some other food allergies, which occur soon after eating, these reactions hit hours later.
Some patients have only stomach symptoms, and the American Gastroenterological Association says people with unexplained diarrhea, nausea and abdominal pain should be tested for the syndrome.
Doctors counsel people with the allergy to change their diet, carry epinephrine and avoid tick bites.
The allergy can fade away in some people — Commins has seen that happen in about 15% to 20% of his patients. But a key is avoiding being re-bitten.
“The tick bites are central to this. They perpetuate the allergy,” he said.
One of his patients is Heller-Greenman, a 78-year-old New York art historian who spends summers on Martha's Vineyard. She has grown accustomed to getting bitten by ticks on the island and said she has had Lyme disease four times.
About five years ago, she started experiencing terrible, itchy hives on her back, torso and thighs in the middle of the night. Her doctors concluded it was an allergic reaction, but couldn't pinpoint the trigger.
She was never a big meat eater, but one day in January 2020 she had a hamburger and then a big, fatty steak the following evening. Six hours after dinner, she woke up nauseated, then suffered terrible spells of vomiting, diarrhea and dizziness. She passed out three times.
She was diagnosed with alpha-gal syndrome shortly after that, and was told to avoid ticks and to stop eating red meat and dairy products. There have been no allergic reactions since.
“I have one grandchild that watches me like a hawk," she said, making sure she reads packaged food labels and avoids foods that could trigger a reaction.
“I feel very lucky, really, that this has worked out for me," she said. “Not all doctors are knowledgeable about this.”
___
The Associated Press Health and Science Department receives support from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute’s Science and Educational Media Group. The AP is solely responsible for all content.
Open TikTok, Instagram or any other social media app right now and you'll find an unending stream of advice on how to lose weight: the latest trendy diet, before-and-after testimonials, miracle *it* products. So it can be easy to lose sight of the basics—like the age-old advice to eat more vegetables and fill half your plate with nonstarchy produce such as greens and zucchini whenever you can. It may not sound sexy, but it works.
Vegetables add volume to meals without a lot of calories, and they contain filling fiber—both of which make them an effective weight-loss tool. They're also packed with essential nutrients and antioxidants that can lower or help manage many chronic diseases, including heart disease, cancer and diabetes.
And yet diet culture has conditioned us to believe that dropping excess pounds requires deprivation and a lack of delicious, whole foods—a style of eating that is 100% unsustainable. Sure, diets can be effective for short-term weight loss, but research shows that most people don't keep it off down the road. For example, a 2020 meta-analysis published in BMJ that included 121 clinical trials found that most diets helped participants lose weight in the first six months and improve certain health measures, like blood pressure, regardless of the method they tried. But that weight loss didn't last by the one-year mark.
What does appear to work best for long-term success: Making small changes that you can maintain, versus trying to do a total diet overhaul. Adding an extra serving of vegetables to your plate, or replacing higher-calorie foods with produce, per the Medical Clinics of North America, are good examples of small but sustainable changes that can help you lose weight. Now, you may be wondering—is there one veggie that's the absolute best to reach for?
As a dietitian who has helped many clients with weight management over the years, I can tell you that the No. 1 vegetable for weight loss is theone that you will eat. Think about it: The only way to reap all the health benefits from veggies is to actually eat them. Every vegetable has nutritional value (yes, even starchy ones like potatoes), so there is no need to get into the weeds about which might have an edge over another.
Why Should You Eat Vegetables for Weight Loss?
Research shows that people who eat plenty of vegetables tend to weigh less than those who don't. In addition to providing a large and satisfying pile of food, veggies can take the place of other higher-calorie foods. One review of studies, published in Nutrients, found that increasing veggie consumption led to decreased weight over time. And a 2019 meta-analysis published in the journal Advances in Nutrition concluded that people who ate more vegetables were 22% less likely to gain weight in the long term (up to 12 years in some of the included studies!). Those who ate about three to four servings (200 to 300 grams) of veggies per day had the lowest risk of overweight and obesity.
The fiber in vegetables can help with weight loss in a couple of different ways. Fiber is a nutrient that has bulk that helps fill you up, but since it isn't digestible, it doesn't provide any calories. It also moves slowly through your digestive tract and stimulates the release of satiety hormones like GLP-1 and PYY, per a review published in Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, so you feel satisfied longer after a meal. Finally, the fiber in vegetables causes a more gradual and lower insulin response that also stabilizes your appetite.
Eat the Veggies You Love
Because there are merits to pretty much every vegetable out there, go for the ones you enjoy. And if you prefer your veg with a bit of butter, creamy sauce, cheese, dressing or other not-so-healthy fat, consider this permission to add them. Yes, you read that right. Putting fat on your veggies—I'm not saying a ton, but some—can be a great way to enhance or complement the flavor. (These garlic-butter cauliflower bites, for example, would not be nearly as delicious without the butter, olive oil and Parmesan cheese.) Weight loss is only successful if you can maintain your healthy eating habits for the long term, and nobody wants to eat boring vegetables forever!
Plus, there's evidence that the benefits of eating more vegetables outweigh any negative impact of a little butter or cheese. In fact, adding a source of fat can actually help your body absorb vitamins in vegetables like vitamins A, E, C and K.
It's also human nature to prioritize tastiness over healthfulness when making food choices. An intervention study of 130,000 college students, published in Psychological Science, found that adding flavor-focused labels to vegetable dishes rather than health-focused ones increased the amount people reached for by 29%. A small mindset shift from "I have to eat vegetables because they are good for me" to "these veggies are delicious" might make you more likely to eat them.
Bottom Line
The best vegetable for helping you reach your weight-loss goals and improve your overall health is the one you will actually eat. Since filling at least half of your plate with vegetables is a great tool for weight loss, focusing on consuming a variety of vegetables is a great way to make it more appealing and sustainable. Don't be afraid to use some butter or ranch dressing on those veggies to make them delicious, either!
Marking a first for the year, six batches of mosquitoes trapped in Halton Region this week have tested positive for West Nile virus, the region confirmed Thursday (July 27).
According to the region’s website, five batches of the mosquitoes were collected in Oakville and one in Burlington.
(Bloomberg) -- As many as 450,000 Americans could have contracted an allergy to red meat that’s linked to tick bites, according to a report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that calls for new efforts to educate doctors and the public about the condition.
Americans are familiar with Lyme disease, the most common tick-borne illness, as cases have skyrocketed in recent years. But as climate change and increased development have led to a growing prevalence of ticks in more parts of the country, the numbers of other tick-borne diseases have spread, too.
Testing identified more than 110,000 suspected cases of alpha-gal syndrome between 2010 and 2022, according to research published Thursday in the CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. People with alpha-gal syndrome are allergic to a sugar found in red meat and some animal products, with symptoms ranging from hives to life-threatening anaphylactic reactions.
But since the disease often goes undiagnosed, the researchers wrote, the true number of cases could be much higher. They estimated that as few as 20% of affected people get tested, meaning the true number could be as high as 450,000.
Cases were highest in the habitat of the lone star tick, including in Arkansas, Kentucky, Missouri and part of New York, researchers found when they looked at positive test results from 2017 to 2022. The species doesn’t harbor Lyme disease, but it’s been linked to alpha-gal syndrome, the rare but dangerous Heartland virus and a bacterial infection called ehrlichiosis.
Yet, while cases are on the rise, in a CDC survey of health-care providers, 40% said they’d never heard of the condition.
“It’s critical for clinicians to be aware of AGS so they can properly evaluate, diagnose, and manage their patients,” said Ann Carpenter, a CDC epidemiologist and one of the report’s authors, in a statement.
There’s no known cure, though the condition sometimes goes away on its own. Doctors manage it by helping patients avoid foods containing the problematic sugar.
Doctors should also educate people about tick bites so they don’t develop the condition in the first place, Carpenter added. The CDC recommends that people treat clothing and camping gear with an insecticide called permethrin, as well as checking for ticks after coming back from the outdoors.
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