A small effort could make a big difference in child drug safety
By Terry Klassen University of Manitoba and Martin Offringa University of Toronto Almost a year has passed since an important report was released on ways Canada can improve medicines for children. The report was commissioned, by Health Canada and undertaken by the Council of Canadian Academies, after experts sounded alarms because there wasn’t enough knowledge…
We need to understand – and measure – the problem before we dive into expensive fixes
As summer winds down, we can count on at least two topics to attract an increasing share of Canadians’ attention: their children – yes, the new school year is just about upon us – and the federal election to be held on October 19th. These two subjects converge in the parties’ campaign promises related to…
A supportive school environment is critically important for keeping children with diabetes safe and healthy
For parents of kids with diabetes, the beginning of each new school year brings not only the usual preparations, but also fears for their child’s health and safety. This is especially true if their school or school district does not have a policy to ensure staff are knowledgeable about diabetes, know how to prevent emergencies,…
Supports children receive in infancy have a profound influence on their intellectual and social development
UNICEF recently released a report card ranking child well-being in the 29 richest countries on earth. Canada came 17th, placing us in the bottom half of the pack on factors such as child poverty, emotional well-being and life satisfaction. Clearly, we can do better. It’s time to have a frank conversation about how our country…
Disabled son inspired his "drop box" for abandoned babies
He is a man with a mission – a mission to save abandoned babies. He is Pastor Lee Jong-rak of Seoul, South Korea. The documentary film The Drop Box tells his story. In 2009, after a mother left her baby on his doorstep one cold night, Lee created a system to safely receive abandoned babies.…
In the case of MMR vaccination, doing nothing is the more dangerous choice
Every day when I see patients in my surgical clinic, some are offered a procedure to help them feel better. Whether it is a minor surgery like a tonsillectomy, or something larger scale such as tumour resection, I have a full discussion with the patient regarding the benefits and risks of doing “something.” Each time…
Studies show early childhood education and family supports yield excellent return on investment
Something is amiss in Canada. A 2014 UNICEF report compared the health and development of children in Canada with 28 other wealthy nations. In spite of being a G8 country, Canada’s children rank number 17th, a status that has not budged in the last 10 years. When measuring the quality of children’s relationships with their…