Government of Nunavut to receive $97M in tobacco settlement
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CBC
3 hours ago
- CBC
What is swimmer's itch? And how can you treat it?
For many, it's not summer until you've taken a dip in one of B.C.'s glistening lakes, a welcome reprieve from those hot July days. But sometimes, you end up with something not so welcome: itchy red bumps on your skin. Some call it swimmer's itch, some call it duck itch, and for others, it's simply the itch. But what is it, exactly? University of Northern British Columbia zoologist Dezene Huber said that itch — whatever you call it — is caused by a parasitic flatworm. "It's really quite tiny," he told CBC's Daybreak North guest host Bill Fee. "You're not able to really see it very well with your naked eye." That worm begins as an egg in the water, Huber said, and when it hatches, the little larvae swim using little hairs on the sides of their bodies in search of a snail. Once they get into the snail, they reproduce asexually in "vast numbers." From there, the new larvae leave the snail, in search of something larger — any sort of water bird, but usually a duck, Huber said. Once they find a duck, they burrow into the bird's feet and get into its circulatory system en route to its gut. That's where they lay the eggs that are then returned to the water when the duck poops. You may notice humans aren't involved in that life cycle at all. But humans, like ducks, are warm in the water, so sometimes, those little parasites mistake people for ducks. "They're really well adapted to survive in a duck, but they're not well adapted to survive in a human, so as soon as they burrow into the skin of a human, they die just underneath the skin of the human and that causes an allergic reaction," Huber said. "It's basically parasites making mistakes in a fairly complex life cycle." Those itchy red bumps you get are an immune response as your body rejects a parasite trying to get inside you, Huber said. Treatment While these parasites aren't causing long-term harm to humans, that itch can be pretty uncomfortable. According to the province, scratching those bumps can lead to pain and even infection. Fort St. James, B.C., pharmacist Ankur Pipaliya said the best tip for avoiding the itch is to avoid swimming in areas known to be a problem for swimmer's itch.. But, if you do, he said, towel dry or shower immediately after you get out of the water. Showers should be with cold water, Pipaliya said. And then, he said, apply moisturizer. "Dry skin, it promotes that allergic reaction. So if your skin is moist, it kind of helps you from having any irritations." If it's too late and you've already got red, itchy bumps from swimming in the lake, Pipaliya said he usually suggests mild corticosteroid creams to reduce discomfort, along with cold showers and cold compresses on the bumps. He said Epsom salts and baking soda also help, as well as over-the-counter allergy medications like Benadryl. The province also suggests calamine lotion and colloidal oatmeal baths for relief from swimmer's itch. It said symptoms can develop within 12 hours after infection, and can last anywhere from two days to two weeks.
Toronto Star
7 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Who decides what's too risky for kids?
In a recent article in the Toronto Star, emergency physicians were asked to share what they wish Canadian kids would do less of this summer in terms of injury prevention. The list was not short. Swimming unsupervised, biking without a helmet, jumping on trampolines with other kids, playing in bouncy castles. Bouncy castles? The response to the reporting boiled down to two basic camps: 'What kind of idiot lets their kid ride a bike without a helmet?' or 'Back in my day we didn't even have helmets and we came out just fine.' Which makes sense when you consider that many of the activities which could land your kid in emerge are not only legal but common. Opinion articles are based on the author's interpretations and judgments of facts, data and events. More details
Calgary Herald
9 hours ago
- Calgary Herald
How did an Edmonton girl, 12, come to represent Canada at a Washington, D.C., diabetes event?
Edmontonian Emily Gervais, 12, recently returned from Washington, D.C., where she represented Canada at the 2025 Breakthrough T1D Children's Congress — a global advocacy event that brings together around 170 youth living with Type 1 diabetes (T1D). Article content Delegates aged 4 to 17 from across the United States and international affiliates including Australia, the U.K., and the Netherlands gathered for training and storytelling July 7 to July 9. Article content Article content Article content Emily, who was diagnosed with T1D when she was eight years old, met with leaders at the Canadian Embassy and joined other youth in sharing what daily life with this chronic autoimmune disease is really like. Article content Article content Postmedia sat down with Emily and her mother, Nicole Gervais, to talk about the experience, the challenges of managing diabetes, and what they hope others took away from her journey. Article content Q&A with Emily Gervais Article content Q: What was it like being in Washington, D.C., and representing Canada at the Children's Congress? A: 'It was a big honour for me, because I was the only representative from Canada there. It was really cool. It just made me really happy.' Article content Q: How did it feel to meet other kids who also live with T1D? A: 'It really made me feel almost normal, because there were other kids who were going through the same thing as me and that I'm not different, just the same as everyone else in the room.' Article content Article content Q: What did you talk about during your visit to the Canadian Embassy? A: 'I got to talk about renewing the Special Diabetes Program to Congress and what our lives were like, what we had to go through with our medical condition.' Article content Article content Q: Has the trip changed how you think about living with diabetes or sharing your story? A: 'It definitely gave me more hope for a cure, because there's lots of people talking about recent research and cell therapy and different things that are pushing towards the cure.' Article content Q: How does Type 1 diabetes affect your daily routine, at home and at school? A: 'Sometimes in the middle of the night, my blood sugar drops, and my parents have to wake up to check on me. They don't always get much sleep because they're worried about my levels. In the morning, I love cereal, but I usually avoid it because it makes my blood sugar spike out of range.
