As a child born in the 1980’s chickenpox was a common childhood illness. Parents would often bring their children to “chickenpox parties” to deliberately expose them to the disease to build immunity at an early age. While most children infected with chickenpox experience mild illness serious complications can occur, most commonly in infants, adults, pregnant […]
Flu season is just around the corner. Adults ≥ 65 years of age have a higher risk of severe illness, complications, hospitalization, and death from the flu compared to younger populations. Canada’s National Advisory Committee on Immunization (NACI) recommends Fluzone High-Dose vaccine for adults ≥ 65 years. What is Fluzone High-Dose? Fluzone High-Dose is an […]
Polio has been in the news lately as there was a case of vaccine-derived polio in July 2022 in the US. The case occurred Rockland County, New York in an unvaccinated resident. Vaccine-derived poliovirus has also been detected in environmental samples in Rockland County and neighbouring Orange County, New York as well as in London, […]
There have been many lost luggage horror stories in recent news reports. Airlines are losing more bags now than ever before. Travellers are reporting being forced to spend their entire vacation without their luggage, some left waiting for weeks or even months before their lost luggage arrives. To avoid the stress and chaos of your […]
On July 25, 2022, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared monkeypox a global health emergency. As of August 1, 2022, the US Centre for Disease Control (CDC) has reported more than 23,000 cases of monkeypox from80 countries worldwide, and these numbers are expected to rise. What does this mean for travellers? Here are some questions […]
You’ve likely heard of malaria, dengue fever, typhoid fever, and hepatitis. These are all common infectious diseases we hear about while traveling, especially in developing countries. But what about the lesser known infectious diseases? Like tick-borne encephalitis, which is often found in more developed countries. Are you at risk? What is tick-borne encephalitis? Tickborne […]
The iconic 1970’s film, Jaws, struck fear into the hearts of beach goers and swimming enthusiasts the world over! The movie’s tagline, “you’ll never go in the water again,” genuinely scared moviegoers into avoiding the water in fear of being eaten by over sized fish! Realistically, attacks from angry, man-eating sharks were the least of […]
There are few things more glorious than a sunny day in Vancouver. We Vancouverites spend a good 9 months of the year in less than tropical weather conditions, so we understand the desire to get out in the sun as much as humanly possible when the weather is nice. Pasty Nation Let’s be honest, […]
There is nothing more awe inspiring than being up close to mountain gorillas in their natural environment. I was fortunate enough to view a family of mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park in Uganda. We witnessed curious toddlers, a mother feeding her new baby, several adolescent gorillas and 3 silver backs. Being this up […]
Many of you will remember the old nursery rhyme “Good night, sleep tight, don’t let the bed bugs bite.” Bed bugs were once a common occurrence throughout the world, but with use of insecticides bed bugs infestations declined in the 1940s. Bed bugs are not, however, just a thing of the past. There has been […]