Welcome back!
There’s been a mysterious death at a plague research lab in Russia. Canada is seeing a rise in COVID and flu cases. And there’s still an ongoing TB crisis in Canada’s North. Ya… we have a lot to catch up on.
On Pulse Check: Women’s heart attacks can look different than men’s, and emergency rooms are missing it.
Let’s get into it.
A mysterious death at a plague research lab
A 28-year-old lab worker at a Russian plague research institute has died of pneumonia from an “unknown” origin. Early reports suggest she might have been exposed to a form of plague at the lab where she worked. Yes, plague — pneumonic plague, to be specific. But Russian health officials are now saying there’s no confirmed cause of death or evidence of a lab accident.
Either way, the case has sent nearly 200 people into quarantine, and Canada is paying close attention. No risk to Canada has been identified at this time.
A global pandemic treaty is stuck in limbo
Speaking of the next pandemic: there’s a plan. Well, sort of. The World Health Organization adopted a pandemic agreement in May 2025 but left the hardest part — how to share pathogen data and make sure vaccines, drugs, and tests are distributed fairly — for later. A year and a half of negotiations later, and that piece still isn't finalized.
The issue? Not everyone agrees. Sangeera Shashikant says wealthy countries want data shared quickly to speed up science, while lower-income countries want guarantees that data won’t leave them at the back of the vaccine line again. Talks continue, with a 2027 deadline looming.
But was this a sinking ship sent out to sea? The absence of the U.S. cast doubt on the treaty to begin.
Meanwhile… COVID cases are rising, and experts say now is a good time to get ahead of flu season.
Down south… measles is still having a moment, with New York declaring a disaster emergency.
Canada’s TB problem is hitting the North hard 🔒
Another deadline looming: Canada pledged to eliminate TB across Inuit Nunangat by 2030, but missed its 2025 target to cut cases in half with some Inuit regions seeing the crisis worsen. In 2024, Inuit in Inuit Nunangat had a TB rate of more than 600 times that of Canadian-born, non-Indigenous people.
Natan Obed, president of Inuit Tapiriit Kanatami, says the reasons are deeply rooted in inequities stemming from colonization — overcrowded housing, food insecurity, poverty, and barriers to timely health care. A healthy arctic must start with healthy people, and that healthy arctic is the “foundation of Canada’s future as an Arctic power.”
Is Canada paying too much for drugs? 🔒
Trump wants to make prescription drugs cheaper in the U.S. — but Canadians could end up paying the price. His administration has struck deals with drugmakers to tie U.S. prices to those paid in other wealthy countries, including Canada.
The concern? If pharmaceutical companies make less money in the U.S., they could try to make it back elsewhere by raising Canadian prices, cutting discounts, or delaying new drug launches here.
But the thing is: Nav Persaud tells us that Canada might already be overpaying for medicine — by billions of dollars a year – in this article. Persaud argues that tariffs and other moves by America will make things worse on this side of the border.
Side note: Wastewater is being used to monitor drug use in municipalities: here is what it says about these eight Canadian cities.
Pulse Check™
Lots on women’s health and menopause this week…
🩸Women are having a hard time discussing menopause with their doctors. Here’s why. 🔒
🫀Women’s heart attacks can look different. They can also be overlooked in Canadian emergency rooms.
🩹It’s not just heart attacks. Women also suffer more pain than men, this study finds.
💉Another study shows that the health of women with diabetes can deteriorate after menopause.
📄All the talk — or lack thereof — about menopause led this foundation to propose a national policy agency on menopause. 🔒
👩🍼Black Canadians face a higher risk of maternal complications. Here’s what the data shows.
That's it for today.
Thanks for reading. Have feedback, story tips, or an issue you'd like us to cover? We'd love to hear from you. Until next week!
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