by medicaltechont | Jun 8, 2024 | Disease, Toronto
What is Invasive Meningococcal Disease?
Meningitis is an inflammation of the meninges (the lining of the brain and spinal cord). There are many types of meningitis. It can be caused by viruses, bacteria, fungus or other organisms.
Invasive meningococcal disease is a serious bacterial infection caused by the bacterium Neisseria meningitidis. The bacteria can invade the body causing serious illness, like meningitis. It can also cause septicemia—an infection of the bloodstream.
Learn more about Meningitis
Toronto Cases on the Rise
Toronto Public Health is reporting 13 cases of invasive meningococcal disease (IMD) so far this year — higher than the total number of cases seen annually since 2002. Two people have died as a result.
In a news release on Friday, the city described IMD, better known as meningitis, as a bacterial infection that can quickly become serious — and potentially life-threatening.
A rise in cases has been reported in other countries, including the United States, the public health agency said, as well as closer to home in Manitoba and Kingston, Ont.
While anyone can catch the disease, Toronto Public Health said it’s most prevalent in children younger than five years old, as well as in teenagers and young adults who have not been vaccinated against IMD.
Children typically receive the vaccine at age 12 months and in Grade 7, the health agency said, though children are eligible to receive the vaccine for free at other times through a Toronto Public Health vaccination clinic.
Click here to read more.
by medicaltechont | Jul 1, 2023 | Alzheimer's, Medical Research, Toronto
Tanz Centre
In a groundbreaking study, the Tanz Centre for Research in Neurodegenerative Diseases at the University of Toronto has challenged the prevailing view of early-stage Alzheimer’s disease. Traditionally, it was believed that Alzheimer’s-related memory loss and cognitive decline were primarily caused by the accumulation of amyloid plaques in the brain. However, the recent research findings have shed new light on this debilitating condition.
Alzheimer’s Research Study
The study suggests that Alzheimer’s may actually begin with damage to the brain’s blood vessels, leading to reduced blood flow and subsequent cognitive impairment. This paradigm shift opens up new possibilities for early detection, prevention, and targeted treatments for Alzheimer’s disease.
The study’s findings provide hope for a breakthrough in understanding and combating this widespread neurodegenerative disorder.
Click here, to learn more about this research.
by medicaltechont | Jun 4, 2018 | Canada, Doctors, e-Health, eHealth, Electronic Medical Records, Healthcare, Ontario, Privacy, Toronto
A total of 5,063 public elementary students were suspended in Toronto this school year after getting caught in what one doctor called, a “1970s-style, cumbersome process” over immunization records.
The number of students suspended amounted to 7 per cent of the 73,262 elementary students in 586 Toronto public elementary schools assessed by Toronto Public Health from July to mid-December 2017. That’s a jump from 5.6 per cent last year.
“All of the students who were suspended either didn’t meet the immunization requirements as they were not up-to-date, their records were not filed on time, or they did not have a valid exemption,” said Dr. Vinita Dubey, associate medical officer at Toronto Public Health.
Read more at https://www.thestar.com/news/gta/2018/02/14/over-5000-elementary-school-kids-suspended-in-toronto-for-out-of-date-immunization-records.html
by medicaltechont | Feb 12, 2017 | Cancer, Toronto
Liver cancer is to blame for more than a thousand deaths every year in Ontario — and most of these occur in the Greater Toronto Area. In fact, the epidemic level of liver cancer in this city often goes unrecognized, as it’s diluted by provincial and national statistics.
So what is it about Toronto that makes it such a hot spot for this type of cancer?
Most of the cases occur in patients with chronic liver disease, typically due to chronic blood-borne infections with the hepatitis B or C viruses.
The transmission of hepatitis B occurs mainly from mother to child and is prevalent in several regions of the world. Immigrants from East Asian and African communities are at an especially elevated risk of carrying hepatitis B, and of developing liver cancer. Hepatitis C is found throughout the world and mainly spread through sharing and inadequate sterilization of needles and syringes. Those who’ve been exposed to infected blood are also at a higher risk — and adults born between 1945 and 1975 are much more likely to have been exposed to hepatitis C. Both infections are silent, with no symptoms until it is too late.
Read more at https://www.thestar.com/life/health_wellness/2017/02/06/doctors-notes-why-toronto-is-a-liver-cancer-hot-spot.html
by medicaltechont | Dec 8, 2014 | e-Health, eHealth, EHR, emr, Ontario, private clinics, Toronto
http://www.thestar.com/life/health_wellness/2014/12/06/billings_by_ontario_doctors_are_secret_should_they_be.html
by medicaltechont | May 10, 2014 | Healthcare, Toronto
Here’s my simple plan for getting doctors’ bills under control. Patients should get annual statements from OHIP.
That’s right.
What other service do you pay for but don’t ever see the bill? We go to our doctor. They bill OHIP. We have no idea how much they’ve billed on our behalf. Oh, I’m sure 99% of doctors are legitimately billing patients for services they’ve delivered. But it’s that 1% that niggles. Patients never get to see the what doctors are billing. Not only that, we’ve no idea how much we’re paying for hospital services or trips to walk-in clinics. We don’t value something when we don’t know how much it costs.
And how do we know we’re getting good value for our dollars when we don’t even know the cost of the service?
Read more.
