Health Topics

To support BC's health care providers, this web resource has been established to provide a centralized, current, and evidence-based source of current information about the emerging health issues in BC.

Health Topics

A-C  D-G  H-K  L-P  Q-T  U-Z

 

A-B-C

• Communicable Disease — Afghanistan Refugees (PDF, 280KB)

D-E-F-G

• Drinking Water Health Topics
  Safe drinking water is essential for human health and survival. It is used for human consumption, food preparation, or other normal household purposes.
   
• Emergency Intervention Disclosure Act - Comments on Bill 39 (PDF, 42KB)
  A letter from the Office of the Provincial Health Officer to Members of the Legislative Assembly.
   
• Fentanyl - See Opioid Overdose

H-I-J-K

• Declaration on Health Promotion and Prevention (Public Health Agency of Canada)
  In September 2010, Canada’s health and healthy living ministers endorsed the declaration on prevention and health promotion, Creating a Healthier Canada: Making Prevention a Priority, which lays out a vision of how governments will work together and with others to make the promotion of health and the prevention of disease, disability and injury a priority for action.

Influenza

• Use of antiviral drugs for seasonal influenza: Foundation document for practitioners - Update 2019 (Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada) 
   
• Guidance on the use of antiviral agents for the 2019-2020 influenza season (PDF, 175KB) (Association of Medical Microbiology and Infectious Disease Canada)
   
• New Web Portal helps Canadians to Fight Flu, the Government of Canada, provinces and territories and the Public Health Agency of Canada have together provided a website to provide Canadians with one-stop access to information about influenza (the flu) and ways to limit its spread. Visitors to the web portal can find fact sheets on influenza, tips for avoiding infection in more than 10 languages, and links to influenza information campaigns within their home province or territory.
   
• Get Vaccinated to Help Fight Influenza (the Flu)
   
• Pandemics - Influenza and Coronavirus
  ​​​An influenza or coronavirus pandemic may occur when an influenza or coronavirus virus radically changes and can easily infect humans, and against which people have little or no immunity. Preparing in advance and knowing the proper health protection measures can help safeguard your and your family's health if this type of event occurs in British Columbia.

L-M-N-O-P

• Lifetime Prevention Schedule Summary and Technical Reports
  The Lifetime Prevention Schedule (LPS) is a set of preventive health services for offer by health care providers to everyone in B.C. The services include tests or screening for disease, behavioural interventions or preventive medication and services, provided by a doctor or other health professional.
  The LPS method helps decide on which of all the prevention services are the most valuable to the people in our province.
  The reports establish priorities among effective clinical prevention services in British Columbia by examining clinical effectiveness, impact on population health and cost effectiveness.
   
• Lyme Disease
  Please visit the BC Centre for Disease Control for a comprehensive overview of Lyme disease

• Measles Immunization Catch-Up Program

  • June 2019 report out (PDF, 881KB)
  • May 2019 report out (PDF, 708KB)
  • April 2019 report out (PDF, 811KB)
     
• Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome – Coronavirus
  The Middle Eastern Respiratory Syndrome coronavirus is a particular type of coronavirus which has caused illness over the past year, primarily in the Middle East.
   
• Childhood Obesity Framework
  In September 2010, Canada’s health and healthy living ministers endorsed Curbing Childhood Obesity, a Federal, Provincial and Territorial framework for action to promote healthy weights in young people.
   
• Ophthalmia Neonatorum Prevention and Management (PDF, 76KB)

Opioid Overdose

• B.C.`s Public Health Emergency Progress Update on B.C.`s Response to the Opioid Overdose Crisis
  On April 14, 2016, provincial health officer Dr. Perry Kendall declared a public health emergency under the Public Health Act. On July 27, 2016. the Premier established the Joint Task Force on Overdose Response. Regular progress reports outline action on B.C.'s public health emergency, identifying achievements to date and next steps underway.
  
  Progress Updates:
  • May 2017 (PDF, 224KB)
  • One-Year Update - April 2017 (PDF, 465KB)
  • March 2017 (PDF, 272KB)
  • January 2017 (PDF, 321KB)
  • November 2016 (PDF, 450KB)
  • September 2016 (PDF, 532KB)
     
• Guidelines and Resources for Supportive Housing Providers, Homeless Shelter Providers and Regional Health Authorities on Overdose Prevention and Response
  • Guidelines (DOCX, 2.0MB)
  • Communication from Dr. Perry Kendall, Provincial Health Officer and Lynn Stevenson, Associate Deputy Minister (PDF, 61KB)
     
• Responding to British Columbia’s Overdose Public Health Emergency - An Ethics Framework
  • Ethics Framework for the Opioid Overdose Crisis Response (PDF, 149KB)

Q-R-S-T

• Radiofrequency and Health (April 2016)
  Information about health concerns related to radiofrequency electromagnetic fields, such as those emitted by cell phones and smart meters.
   
• Road Safety and Speed Review
  Reports and Resources Related to Road Safety

• Severe Pulmonary Disease Associated with Vaping or Dabbing​

  • PHO Notice - Severe Pulmonary Disease (PDF, 109KB)
     
    • Health Canada – "Update on the potential risk of pulmonary illness associated with vaping products"
    • US CDC - "Outbreak of Lung Disease Associated with E-Cigarette Use, or Vaping"
    • US CDC - "Severe Pulmonary Disease Associated with Electronic-Cigarette–Product Use — Interim Guidance"
    • US CDC - "Outbreak of Electronic-Cigarette–Associated Acute Lipoid Pneumonia - North Carolina, July-August 2019"
    • "Editorial: Vaping-Induced Lung Injury" (New England Journal of Medicine, Sept 6 2019)
    • "Pulmonary Illness Related to E-Cigarette Use in Illinois and Wisconsin - Preliminary Report" (New England Journal of Medicine, Sept 6 2019)
       
• Tattooing Guidelines (PDF, 1.2MB)
  This publication covers informed consent, premises, and operation, preparation, and handling of instruments and equipment, pigments (dyes or inks), infection control, waste disposal, personal service workers, and post-tattooing skin care (PDF 1.2MB).

U-V-W-X-Y-Z

• Communicable Disease — Ukraine Refugees (PDF, 239KB)
   
• West Nile Virus
  West Nile virus is a mosquito-borne virus. In nature it is normally passed between mosquitoes and birds.
   
• Zika Virus for Healthcare Professionals
  Zika virus causes infections in humans and is transmitted by mosquitos found in South America, Latin America and the Caribbean. Originally found only in Africa and Asia, the virus was first reported in the Western Hemisphere in 2015. Zika is from the same family of viruses as Dengue and West Nile Virus which are transmitted by the same types of mosquitoes.

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