BLOG

capsule moments

World TB Day is held on March 24 each year.  Tuberculosis remains the world’s leading infectious killer being responsible for the deaths of nearly 1.7 million people each year and is the 9th leading cause of death globally.  Even though drugs are available to treat the disease, resistant strains of bacteria are starting to appear.

Each year about 80 Canadians die from carbon monoxide poisoning making it one of the leading causes of accidental death. Since this gas has no odour, the only way to detect it is with a CO alarm.  If you don’t have one in your home, get one soon.  If you do have a battery-operated one, check to ensure the batteries work.

If ASA was a new drug discovered today, it probably would be available only on prescription.  This is due to its ability to reduce blood-clotting and is used in people with a heart attack history to prevent a second one.  There is also some evidence that low-dose ASA may be involved in lowering the risk of ovarian cancer.  The latest research didn’t prove this to be so but there was definitely an association in lowering the risk. Discuss this with your doctor first.

In the U.K, the National Health Service will starting paying for a flash glucose monitoring device for diabetics soon.  This device is about the size of a quarter and sticks on the arm.  There is no finger-pricking because the results of the test are read by a iPhone app. or the user can buy a reader with the device.  These are available in Canada under the brandname Freestyle Libre.