愛污传媒

Health

    • Indigenous people more likely to be hospitalized with influenza: study

    In this Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020 file photo, a patient receives an influenza vaccine in Mesquite, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero) In this Thursday, Jan. 23, 2020 file photo, a patient receives an influenza vaccine in Mesquite, Texas. (AP Photo/LM Otero)
    Share

    Indigenous groups are disproportionately impacted by influenza in numerous countries worldwide, including Canada, according to the first study to measure this issue on such a wide scale.

    The study, published Thursday in the peer-reviewed journal PLOS One, found than non-Indigenous people in those countries.

    In Canada, New Zealand and Australia, Indigenous people were more than five times as likely to be hospitalized with influenza.

    "It is critical that governments ensure that people who have the flu have equitable access to healthcare and that vaccination rates are as high as possible," Dr. Katherine Gibney, an epidemiologist at the Doherty Institute and Royal Melbourne Hospital as well as senior author of the study, said in a press release.

    "When we are planning for seasonal flu, but especially pandemic flu, we need to have specific and targeted plans for First Nations people that are generated by First Nations people."

    Although this issue has been recorded in previous studies, researchers say this is the first time that this inequity has been estimated on a global scale.

    Although influenza is a common illness, it still is responsible for thousands of deaths a year. There are more than 50 million influenza infections and more than 100,000 deaths due to influenza each year, according to this study.

    And for Indigenous people, the rate of hospitalization and mortality is much higher, researchers say.

    In order to get a broad picture of how Indigenous groups were impacted by influenza, researchers performed a review and meta-analysis of 36 studies that looked at data relating to influenza hospitalizations and deaths for Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations worldwide.

    All of the studies were from high or high-middle income countries, with researchers noting there is a lack of studies on this topic from low-middle to low income countries. All studies were published prior to July 13, 2021.

    Four of the studies had been performed in Canada, making up 11 per cent of the sample. The rest of the studies included 15 from Australia, 10 from the U.S., six from New Zealand and one from Brazil.

    More than half of the studies had extractable data relating to hospitalization, while five had extractable data only relating to mortality. A total of 26 of the included studies were looking at hospitalizations and deaths that had occurred during the 2009 pandemic of H1N1, a type of influenza known as swine flu.

    Across the board, researchers found there was a consistent pattern of Indigenous groups seeing statistically significant higher hospitalization rates.

    When looking at seasonal influenza specifically, the biggest disparity was in Auckland, New Zealand, where Maori children were around eleven times more likely to be hospitalized for influenza compared to other children during the winter months of 2014-2016.

    "For many global Indigenous populations, including those from Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the United States and Brazil, the experience of colonialism is the common factor driving health inequities," researchers wrote in the study. "While particular circumstances differ between populations, the effects of violent dispossession from traditional lands, policies of exclusion and ongoing experiences of racism and discrimination, particularly within the healthcare sector, continue to unjustly manifest in worse health outcomes for Indigenous peoples."

    The study was limited by the lack of data from low income countries, as well as the lack of data focusing on seasonal influenza, with many of the studies focused on the H1N1 pandemic in 2009.

    Gibney said governments should collaborate with Indigenous communities to address these inequities.

    "Australia did a fantastic job during COVID of having First Nations-led plans that worked well," she said. "And if that can be applied to the flu, it would be incredibly valuable."

    "Our research emphasises the widespread and ongoing impacts of colonisation on the health outcomes of First Nations communities," Dr. Juliana Betts, co-author of the study with Monash University, added in the release.

    "Solutions to these health gaps largely sit outside of the health sector, in policies that address the many social determinants of health including poverty, housing, education and racism."

    Researchers are also calling for better data to be gathered, so the factors behind this inequity can be explored further.

    "When we get information about flu hospitalisations and deaths, we need to capture that individual鈥檚 First Nations status to determine whether the gap we have described is closing over time, and to continue to advocate for resources to reduce the disease burden in First Nations populations," Gibney said. 

    CTVNews.ca Top Stories

    It's a dream for many Canadians, trying to save up enough money for a down payment on their very first home. That was also the dream for the Esmeralda family, a family of five with two dogs who currently live in a Scarborough apartment building.

    Donations are quickly pouring in for the family of a young woman who was found dead inside a Walmart in Halifax last weekend.

    A haunted house in the Ontario Town of Innisfil is causing a real scare for some people a week before Halloween.

    BREAKING

    BREAKING

    Four people are dead and another is in hospital following a fiery crash in downtown Toronto that happened overnight on Lake Shore Boulevard.

    Canada

    • Donations are quickly pouring in for the family of a young woman who was found dead inside a Walmart in Halifax last weekend.

    • Another local homeowner says trees owned by the City of Regina have caused damaged to his property for years and has resulted in tens of thousands of dollars spent from his own pocket.

    • An investigation into a climate of fear at a Montreal primary school has reignited a debate about secularism in Quebec's education system, with the provincial government pledging to consider new measures to keep religion out of classrooms.

    • Ontario needs more money to properly deliver the national $10-a-day child-care program now and beyond the life of the current agreement, the province's education minister has told the federal minister in a new letter.

    • Legend has it that on a dark evening in 1988, friends of Supt. Joe Atherton quietly buried his body on the site of the old provincial RCMP headquarters in Vancouver.

    • Richard Robert Mantha, accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting several women at a rural property east of Calgary, has fired his legal counsel again.

    World

    Politics

    Health

    Sci-Tech

    • Vancouver Fire Rescue Services received its first shipment of new firefighting gear on Wednesday, advancing the department's plans to reduce cancer risk for its members.

    • A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.

    Entertainment

    Business

    Lifestyle

    • A new resident at a Manitoba animal rescue has waddled her way into people's hearts.

    • The Radium Hot Springs in British Columbia's Kootenay National Park has undergone a $29-million makeover.

    Sports

    Autos

    Local Spotlight

    He is a familiar face to residents of a neighbourhood just west of Roncesvalles Avenue.

    A meteor lit up our region's sky last night 鈥 with a large fireball shooting across the horizon over Lake Erie at around 7:00 p.m.

    Residents of Ottawa's Rideauview neighbourhood say an aggressive wild turkey has become a problem.

    A man who lost his life while trying to rescue people from floodwaters, and a 13-year-old boy who saved his family from a dog attack, are among the Nova Scotians who received a medal for bravery Tuesday.

    A newly minted Winnipegger is hoping a world record attempt will help bring awareness for the need for more pump track facilities in the city.

    A Springfield, Ont. man is being hailed a 'hero' after running into his burning home to save his two infant children.

    Hortense Anglin was the oldest graduate to make her way across the platform at York University's Fall Convocation ceremony this week. At the age of 87, she graduated with an Honours degree in Religious Studies.

    Looking for a scare with good intentions this Halloween season? The ghosts and ghouls of Eganville, Ont. invite families to tour the Haunted Walk at Lekbor Manor.

    The image of a sleepy Saskatchewan small town with 'not a lot going on' is a well-known anecdote. However, one Saskatchewan company is hoping to change that 鈥 and allow communities both on and off the beaten path to share their stories and advertise what they have to offer.

    • Legend has it that on a dark evening in 1988, friends of Supt. Joe Atherton quietly buried his body on the site of the old provincial RCMP headquarters in Vancouver.

    • Since the record-breaking atmospheric river hit Metro Vancouver last Friday, 266 drivers have filed ICBC claims for water damage to their vehicles. In some places, flood water was so deep, cars floated away with the drivers still inside, and the engine running.

    • It was a result even the Vancouver Whitecaps hadn't dared to dream of.

    • BREAKING

      BREAKING

      Four people are dead and another is in hospital following a fiery crash in downtown Toronto that happened overnight on Lake Shore Boulevard.

    • It's a dream for many Canadians, trying to save up enough money for a down payment on their very first home. That was also the dream for the Esmeralda family, a family of five with two dogs who currently live in a Scarborough apartment building.

    • Richard Robert Mantha, accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting several women at a rural property east of Calgary, has fired his legal counsel again.

    • A proposed inner-city apartment complex development by Anthem Properties is raising concerns for some residents of Hillhurst and West Hillhurst.

    • WEATHER

      WEATHER

      A consistent weather pattern will have Thursday turn out to be very similar to Wednesday.

    • Quebec鈥檚 Bureau of Independent Investigations (BEI) is investigating after police in Gatineau, Que. shot and killed a man who allegedly stabbed an officer during an investigation.

    • The City of Ottawa is hoping to learn this week just how many residents in the capital are homeless.

    • Emergency crews responded to a call for a collision involving a pedestrian on Princess Louise Drive at Hauteview Crescent just before 7:30 a.m. Thursday.

    • An investigation into a climate of fear at a Montreal primary school has reignited a debate about secularism in Quebec's education system, with the provincial government pledging to consider new measures to keep religion out of classrooms.

    • WEATHER

      WEATHER

      High temperatures have been trending in Montreal this season, but that could soon come to an end.

    • Montreal Mayor Val茅rie Plante says she will quit municipal politics after serving the final year of her second term, which comes to an end in November 2025.

    • WEATHER

      WEATHER

      Wind looks to be the big weather story today. We should get gusts in the 30-40 km/h range starting late this morning and continuing through to early evening (7p.m.'ish).

    • Public feedback is divided on proposed changes to Jasper council鈥檚 pay, which includes increasing the base salary and eliminating per diems.

    • An Edmonton tow truck operator has been charged after police say he refused to release a vehicle to its owner.

    • Donations are quickly pouring in for the family of a young woman who was found dead inside a Walmart in Halifax last weekend.

    • WorkSafeNB is investigating a workplace fatality that took place in Moncton, N.B., last week.

    • A volunteer treasurer is facing charges after funds went missing from Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston鈥檚 riding.

    • A sentencing hearing for a Manitoba man who pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the killings of his common-law partner and their two young children is set to begin Thursday.

    • A search has started at Prairie Green Landfill for the remains of two victims of a serial killer.

    • A 59-year-old man has died following a crash involving three vehicles that started after a tire fell off a car on the Trans-Canada Highway Wednesday morning in the RM of Tache.

    • Another local homeowner says trees owned by the City of Regina have caused damaged to his property for years and has resulted in tens of thousands of dollars spent from his own pocket.

    • Regina police says officers will provide an update Thursday in its search for the suspect of a homicide that took place in the city during the summer of 2023.

    • Detective Robert Hofstetter examined Erb鈥檚 home after her death and came to several conclusions based on the blood stains he found there.

    • A psychologist who recently assessed Geovanny Villalba-Aleman believes he may have experienced a psychotic break before stabbing three people in a gender studies class at a University of Waterloo.

    • Corrections Service Canada has confirmed a women鈥檚 prison in Kitchener is in lockdown.

    • Canada's discount airline is suspending operations to and from Saskatoon.

    • The race to form government is heating up ahead of the provincial election on Monday. Both the Saskatchewan NDP and the Saskatchewan Party feel they have the momentum as each leader has been focusing on different areas of the province as the campaign trail nears its end.

    • The Saskatoon civic election is drawing closer, with mayoral candidates outlining their visions to keep the city competitive and attract businesses.

    • Sudbury police say a weapons call about a man pointing a gun at a woman in the city鈥檚 West End on Tuesday afternoon led to multiple charges.

    • A 72-year-old driver was charged Wednesday with following two closely after a five-vehicle crash sent several people to hospital in Parry Sound.

    • The president and CEO of New Brunswick-based Covered Bridge Potato Chips is taking an 'extended leave of absence' after being charged with domestic violence this past weekend.

    • David Musyj said the process of establishing a new board continues, stressing that it took a longtime for the hospital group to get into the situation it's in and it will take time to make things right.

    • A 27-year-old man is miraculously alive after his pickup went over Hawk Cliff near Port Stanley. Fire fighters estimate that from the top to bottom of the embankment is around 270 feet.

    • Under tough cross-examination at the London courthouse on Wednesday, Rachel Johnson, 21, was asked a number of times why there was a delay in calling 911

    • Causing a disturbance at an Orillia shop drew the attention of local police.

    • Stevenson Memorial Hospital is being cautious about visitors during flu season.

    • A 34-year-old motorcyclist has died following a collision in Barrie鈥檚 south end on Tuesday.

    • In the Town of Tecumseh, residents and athletes alike are facing a pickleball problem that may prove costly.

    • As hospitals elsewhere in Ontario reintroduce mask mandates due to rising respiratory illnesses, Windsor hospitals are taking a more measured approach.

    • Two B.C. RCMP officers won鈥檛 face criminal charges for their use for force that left a man who had been arrested for public intoxication with a concussion, a torn shoulder and a chunk of his hair missing 鈥 but they could face professional discipline.

    • When 16-year-old Kaydence Bourque was struck and killed in a crosswalk on Cedar Hill Cross Road in Saanich in 2021, the community was shaken to the core.

    • A man who fired at least 19 gunshots at an RCMP detachment in northern British Columbia, narrowly missing officers inside, has won a reduced prison sentence from the province's highest court, which ruled the sentencing judge failed to fully weigh the man's mental illness at the time.

    • Dave Lindsey began growing giant pumpkins to bring a bit of magic to his grandkids' Halloween.

    • A U.S. District Court judge in Montana has sentenced a 27-year-old man from Kelowna, B.C., to 18 months in prison for using fake names to buy guns with the aim of selling them in Canada.

    • Nearly two years after a man was stabbed to death in downtown Kelowna, RCMP have made an arrest in the case.

    • A Lethbridge recovery centre, tasked with helping residents struggling with addictions, is celebrating its first year of success in the community.

    • Graduate students looking to become mental-health professionals will have more opportunities to study in the University of Lethbridge鈥檚 Master of Education Counselling Psychology program.

    • A dazzling light display is making its return to Lethbridge this holiday season.

    • The lack of 24-hour public washrooms has been a long-standing issue in the Sault, especially considering the rise in homelessness.

    • The union representing the fire rangers with the Ministry of Natural Resources says money won鈥檛 fix the systemic problems in the workplace.

    • Rallies by a group called Voices Against Violence took place across the country on Monday, including Sault Ste. Marie.

    N.L.

    Shopping Trends

    The Shopping Trends team is independent of the journalists at 愛污传媒. We may earn a commission when you use our links to shop.聽Read about us.

    Stay Connected
    Follow 愛污传媒