2018
The flu pandemic of 1918, a reported in 1918
January 15, 2018
In October of 1918, the Canadian Public Health Association’s Public Health Journal reproduced a newspaper broadside from Chicago’s Commissioner of Health and the U.S. Surgeon General aimed at informing “every man, woman, and child” about the disease. There’s nothing here that sounds strange today: if you get sick, stay in bed and take plenty of liquids; seek medical attention if conditions worsen. Most people, after all, recovered after 3-4 days. Death usually came from complications, notably pneumonia. As a “catching disease,” severe attacks could be spread to others from the germs of someone who only manifested mild symptoms. (Cover your nose and don’t spit!) The term of art here is “germ.” “Virus” in its modern sense dates to Dmitri Ivanovsky’s 1892 discoveries, but the word does not seem to have been in general circulation.2017
When pot is legal, do fewer teens use it?
December 18, 2017
"I'm not overly surprised that there's a decrease in use because there's an increased awareness of cannabis amongst parents and guardians and other adults," says Ian Culbert, executive director of the Canadian Public Health Association. "It is a positive upside of legalization, that we're talking about use and why people use and how you use," says Culbert. "When it's illegal, we don't necessarily have those conversations, we just say, 'It's illegal, it's bad, don't use it, end of conversation.'"Details starting to come out about how P.E.I. plans to handle legalized marijuana
December 17, 2017
I also suspect actual marijuana use will be much higher when tourists start flocking to the Island next summer. With some clever marketing, Canada’s Food Island could also become Canada’s Pot Island. Eating lobster on the beach and watching the sunset with some P.E.I. bud – sounds like a plan. But it’s a non-starter. The government says it isn’t planning to advertise legal pot, consistent with the wishes of the Canadian Public Health Association.P.E.I. just says no to cannabis advertising
December 15, 2017
"There's been a lot of concern about the advertising and the Canadian Public Health Association wants a complete ban on advertising for cannabis." Roach said the province will begin educating people on P.E.I. about what is to come when the federal cannabis legislation is brought forward in more detail.Could decriminalization of all drugs actually lower overdoses and violent crime rates?
December 12, 2017
As with any radical plan or change in policy, there will be people resistant to the change. Critics of Portugal’s plan say that decriminalization will increase the likelihood of use or make the government look soft on drugs and crime, but Ian Culbert of the Canadian Public Health Association says there is no evidence to support those claims. “In fact, the only risk is that we’re going to start treating people like human beings and not like criminals and giving them the proper supports to reintegrate them into society,” Culbert told Your Morning, “And who knows, we might even save tax dollars because it’s cheaper to support people and give them treatment to fight their addiction than it is to incarcerate them.”Should Canada be decriminalizing more than just pot? Portugal did
December 12, 2017
In 2001, Portugal decriminalized possession of personal amounts of all drugs. Since then, the country has seen a dramatic drop in overdose, HIV infection and violent crime rates, leaving some to wonder if the model could work in Canada. We spoke with the executive director of the Canadian Public Health Association, Ian Culbert, to find out.AIDS organizations call on feds to step up funding for Sask. AIDS epidemic
December 1, 2017
The number of Saskatchewan residents newly diagnosed with HIV has increased by 33 per cent over the past decade despite a 45-per-cent increase in prevention funding. In a news release, the Canadian Public Health Association says nationally, the number of new infections remains relatively unchanged despite years of investments. Also in the release, the association “calls upon all levels of governments, non-governmental organizations, service providers and citizens to reflect on and to refocus our collective efforts to reduce the number of new HIV infections every year, and tackle the barriers — including stigma — that hinder HIV prevention, testing and support.”Local agency marks World AIDS Day
November 30, 2017
Boucher said as an educator he reminds people to be respectful of those living with HIV, especially when they come out. A long-standing concern is the fear associated with getting tested. The Canadian Public Health Association says 21 per cent of people living with HIV in Canada are unaware of their infection. The Canadian public health agency estimates that there were 2,570 new infections of HIV in 2014.Treating the climate with coal phase-out
November 29, 2017
Canada, the UK and partners announced a global alliance to phase-out coal power at COP23 in Bonn, Germany. It was an honour to speak on behalf of the health community at the launch, as coal-power phase-out is a key recommendation of the 2017 Lancet Countdown Report and the Countdown’s associated UK brief, as well as the Canadian Brief which I co-authored on behalf of the Canadian Public Health Association.As National Legalization Looms, Advertising Takes the Spotlight in Canada
November 29, 2017
Ian Cuthbert, an executive director with the Canadian Public Health Association, said that their preference is for a complete ban on marketing. He doesn’t think that such a ban would stand up to a challenge in the country’s Supreme Court, so he would settle for advertising in retail outlets restricted to adults only.