COVID lockdowns are fortunately behind us, and vacations are making a huge comeback. But how safe is it to holiday, especially on a ship? Cruise carriers bear a duty to keep their passengers safe. Despite the decrease in the number and severity of COVID cases, there are of course still risks in everyday life. Masks are no […]
Category: public health
Some people do not feel lonely when alone, while others may feel lonely even when surrounded by other people. The most widely described examples of this dichotomy come from studies of older residents in community dwelling facilities. Nearly all such residents feel at least moderately lonely (60%) or severely lonely (35%). Loneliness is a very expensive health problem. […]
Covid has reminded us that living is a delicate balance of harmony and disharmony with our environmental partners – most recently, viruses. It has only been a couple of decades since our last major epidemic, HIV, was untreated and unpreventable. But things have changed and while Covid is on the way to becoming the equivalent […]
Medical evidence is in a state of constant flux. Most of us would feel comfortable if amassing research evidence was like completing a jigsaw puzzle. Each new piece would add to the greater picture. Unfortunately, that is not the case. When viewing medical research we must learn, as we did as adolescents, that not everything in our lives […]
As a public health physician, and as a family physician, I am ashamed. In response to COVID, my colleagues in public health officialdom are losing credibility as they search for politically driven quick fixes and remain silent when individual freedoms are restricted without clear evidence of an enduring relationship to positive outcomes. COVID is here […]
COVID-19 continues to ravage the world in waves and ways that are seemingly unstoppable. Even now, the unresolved debates about vaccination and herd immunity will ensure that the virus will affect us long into the future. And then there is the unspeakable discourse that centres around the possibility that the virus is a Darwinian cull […]
With the advent of antibiotics in the first half of the last century, traditional public health went into hibernation. Communicable or infectious diseases surfaced only occasionally, and usually only in small outbreaks of old foes such as TB, leprosy and polio. Most of these outbreaks were contained and in relatively inaccessible locations subject to a small […]
CoVID is no longer just a health concern. As clinicians we now understand the disease a little better, are comforted that most cases are mild and self-limiting, and relieved that the intensive care resources are becoming equipped to manage the increase in patient numbers. Even the danger to health care workers of too much exposure […]
What will happen to our healthcare services once the acute phase of CoVID-19 has passed is anyone’s guess. The backlog of non-urgent surgery and medical treatment grows daily as physicians not involved in acute life-threatening care are furloughed and patients are reticent to see clinicians for fear of catching CoVID-19, if their offices are even […]
In times of overwhelming disaster and limited resources, ingenuity and repurposing can save lives. For example, the use of stapling wounds on the suture-poor battle fields more than a century ago was game changer. It worked because the purpose of a suture and a staple were similar – to hold two opposing surfaces together. Wrap […]
CoVID-19 is all about lungs and breathing. As the infection increases in seriousness so the need for breathing assistance becomes greater. Critical and intensive care units (ICUs) provide the optimal support for these life-threatening breathing problems. But are they ready for the expected surge in cases? There will never be enough ICU beds. Overall, critical […]
Global travel no doubt contributes to polluting our planet, but is it really responsible for the spontaneous outbreaks of CoVID-19 (coronavirus) occurring around the world? The recent outbreak in Italy, which has not been linked to any human carrier, makes me wonder. It is time to look into transmission beyond human-to-human. Granted we humans are […]
Every year around this time lettuce gets bad press. Since 1995 there have been 35 outbreaks of E coli infections related to leafy greens. Last year it was cos lettuce. This year it’s romaine. The problem isn’t with the humble leaf, after all, it is nearly all water, It’s the water that’s the problem. The […]
Drugs are here to stay but the way they should be used is changing. It started with antibiotics – too many are unnecessary. Now many drugs are prescribed for courses that are too long. No ‘one-size-fits-all’ – neither for the choice of drug nor the duration of use. More than two thirds of antibiotic courses for acute […]
What goes in must come out – in some form or another. Our bodies are relatively efficient processing systems, so when we have extracted what we require from pharmaceutical agents, the rest is excreted in urine and faeces and finally makes its way to our wastewater. Seventy-two percent of these pharmaceuticals end up in our […]
About one third of the world’s population experiences at least 20 days per year of extreme heat conditions that can be considered deadly. Block quote: In heatwaves we need to change the way we think about our environment. The most vulnerable groups are children, older adults and individuals with type 2 diabetes especially those with associated co-morbidities […]
The human body is really one large water storage tank with entry and exit valves. Water makes up about 60% of our bodies. Each litre of water weighs 1 kilogram, so in a person who weighs 60 kilograms, 36 kilograms is water. Nearly one third of our daily water supply comes from what we eat. […]
Most of the biologic waste generated in our homes has the potential to be toxic. The cooked food scraps, fruit and vegetable peels may be organic but that doesn’t mean they are free from harbouring dangerous bacteria. Clostridium perfringes, enterococci and fecal coliforms, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Staphylococcus aureus are all strains of bacteria which have […]
For the fitness industry, January is an important month. Our over indulgence in food and drink combined with a decrease in physical activity provides a fertile ground for gym marketeers. The recommended space behind treadmills is 11 times the length of a credit card. Commercial fitness centers can be dangerous places. Currently, there are no […]
Being an olympian is a dangerous occupation. In the sixteen days of competition one in ten athletes will sustain an injury during the games. Of these injuries one in three will prevent the athlete from competing or continuing to compete. During the games we only hear of the spectacular injuries and so far in Rio, […]
The Thinker 