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As leprosy rates rise in Florida, should Canadians be worried?
Leprosy rates are rising in Florida, sparking a warning from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that the disease may be on the path to becoming endemic in the region.
“Florida, USA, has witnessed an increased incidence of leprosy cases lacking traditional risk factors,” the CDC said in a report published on Monday. “Those trends … contribute to rising evidence that leprosy has become endemic in the southeastern United States.”
Leprosy, also known as Hansen’s disease, is a chronic infectious disease caused by the bacterium Mycobacterium leprae. It primarily affects the skin, nerves and, in severe cases, other organs. If left untreated, it can result in paralysis of the hands and feet.
“Travel to Florida should be considered when conducting leprosy contact tracing in any state,” the CDC added in its report.
So what does this mean for Canadian travellers heading to the Sunshine State?
The Public Health Agency of Canada (PHAC) told Global News that although leprosy rates are growing in Florida, the risk still remains “very low.”
Read more about leprosy rates in Florida and how Canadians can stay safe.
Concerns about Ozempic
A Toronto school teacher says she thinks going on Ozempic may have caused her to develop gastroparesis, which leads to stomach paralysis.
In 2018, Emily Wright started taking Ozempic to help treat her Type 2 diabetes. Soon after taking the diabetes drug, she started to feel major nausea and vomiting symptoms, but she said they were “livable.”
Over time, the symptoms worsened and after multiple trips to the emergency room for dehydration, she was told she had “cyclic vomiting-like symptoms” and was later diagnosed with gastroparesis.
After losing around 150 pounds and being in and out of the hospital, she said one doctor told her to stop taking Ozempic as it may have contributed to her health problems.
She went off Ozempic in November 2022, but since then has still experienced the same symptoms.
“I’m on medication, which I will likely have to be on for the rest of my life to speed up the motility of my stomach, as well as daily nausea medication to combat vomiting,” Wright said.
Read more about Wright’s story with Ozempic and why experts say extreme reactions like this may not be common.
— THE TOPIC —
Should the age bodychecking in hockey is allowed be changed?
— WHAT EXPERTS ARE SAYING —
The Canadian Paediatric Society is recommending  raising the age of body checking in hockey to 15 from 13 as a way to reduce the number of concussions in the sport.
A report released Wednesday found that eliminating bodychecking for this age group could decrease concussion rates by 20 to 90 per cent in Canada.
“By eliminating the bodychecking altogether up until 15, we can do huge, huge favours for our kids,” said Dr. Kristian Goulet, lead author of the study and assistant professor at the University of Ottawa’s Department of Pediatrics. “Both from their neurologic health in terms of concussion, but also we know concussions affect mental health.”
The study found concussions account for 80 to 90 per cent of traumatic brain injuries. It also said 200,000 concussions occur every year in Canada, mostly among children and youth, and that hockey was the leading cause of traumatic brain injuries in all sports.
When asked by Global News if it would consider changing its policies in light of the research, Hockey Canada pointed to its recent move to remove bodychecking for the under-13 age range but didn’t say whether it would raise the age to 15.
Goulet believes the sooner Hockey Canada acts, the more injuries can be prevented.
“These kids, they’re going to put food on the table (later in life) with what’s between their ears. And we’ve got to make sure we can protect that,” he told Global News.
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