It's been a big week for vaccines — with Trump's new vaccine order, rising measles cases and a potential Lyme disease vaccine all landing on our radar.
Trump signed an executive order on August 10 calling for changes to the U.S. childhood vaccine schedule, including fewer recommended shots and plans to split the combined MMR vaccine into separate measles, mumps, and rubella shots. So, what does this mean for Canada?
CTV reports that vaccine hesitancy is on the rise in Canada — and around the world. Experts say that vaccine misinformation has never stopped at national borders, and it won't start now.
WHO pushed back on Trump's announcement the following day, backing the scientific process used to establish childhood vaccine schedules. But there are still concerns that these changes could fuel more confusion on this side of the border, too.
Trump's vaccine announcement came at an interesting time. The U.S. isn't the only country facing a significant measles resurgence — Canada is, too. And CBC reports that it could come with serious consequences.
PAHO stripped Canada of its measles elimination status last November after more than a year of ongoing transmission in most provinces and territories. On top of that, WHO recently revealed that Canada has a much higher measles rate than the U.S., despite having a population one-tenth of its size.
Measles can cause serious complications, including pneumonia, encephalitis, blindness and, in some cases, death. The physician shortage and loose exemption rules allowing unvaccinated kids to spread the virus are among the factors being blamed for the rise in cases.
Speaking of vaccines... CTV reports that EU officials have agreed to study an experimental vaccine against the world's most common tick-borne illness.
While Lyme disease currently has no vaccine, Pfizer and the French-Swiss firm Valneva say trials have shown a 70-per-cent efficacy rate in people aged five and above.
Climate change has caused a significant surge in the number of ticks in Canada this year, and experts warn it may not get better.
Longer and drier summers could make an already growing transmission rate even higher. In 2022, more than 14 per cent of the global population had the disease.
There's apparently a lot we still don't know about how cannabis affects the brain — but Canada is determined to find out.
The Canadian Press reports that the government invested $24 million last week in the Canadian Cannabis and Brain Health Consortium — a group of 10 research teams who will gather to study the effects of cannabis on the brain in various ages.
Its goal is to establish scientific evidence on the benefits and harms of cannabis, including its effects on epilepsy, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, sleep, mental health and brain development in youth and during pregnancy.
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Canada Healthwatch
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