Why should Canadians care about the U.S. pulling out of the World Health Organization? Ozempic could also help fight dementia but raise other health risks, study says Endless diarrhea and exhaustion: the stomach bug making the rounds among Canada's vulnerable

 

View in browser Saturday, January 25, 2025 Good morning! Here's our round-up of weekly health and medical science news. If you haven’t subscribed yet, you can do that by clicking here. This week Why should Canadians care about the U.S. pulling out of the World Health Organization? Ozempic could also help fight dementia but raise other health risks, study says Endless diarrhea and exhaustion: the stomach bug making the rounds among Canada's vulnerable The logo of the World Health Organization. U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order this week withdrawing the U.S. from the global health agency, a move that has worried public health experts around the world. (Robert Hradil/Getty) From flu vaccinations to preventing future pandemics, what Canadian doctors are most worried about   Jennifer Yoon  Those working at the World Health Organization had been expecting the worst — but Donald Trump's executive order still landed like a gut punch.  "The mood here is pretty sombre and quite gloomy," said Dr. Madhukar Pai, who happened to be working from WHO headquarters in Geneva when the U.S. president signed an executive order withdrawing America from the global health agency.  The United States is slated to leave the WHO in January 2026, says the U.N, since it has to provide a year's notice before withdrawing. The United States is by far the biggest financial supporter of the WHO, contributing 18 per cent of its overall funding, which amounts to roughly $1.2 billion for the agency's most recent two-year budget for 2024-25. It's bad timing. Pai, who chairs the department of global and public health at McGill University, says there's so much to do to curb the spread of infectious diseases around the world right now. Bird flu – specifically H5N1 – could be just one mutation away from being more transmissible among humans, according to a peer-reviewed study published in Science in December. There's currently an outbreak of the deadly Marburg virus in Tanzania, following a fatal outbreak in Rwanda in the fall of 2024. There are several outbreaks of mpox in multiple African countries, and there's potential for the disease to spread outside the continent.  Pai worries that weakening the WHO could be catastrophic, not just for Americans but for the entire world.   The U.S. withdrawal comes as the world faces several infectious diseases, like bird flu. H5N1 could be just one mutation away from being more transmissible among humans, according to a December 2024 study. (Luc Gnago/Reuters) That, he says, should concern Canadians.  "What happened in Wuhan came to Canada. What happened somewhere else will come to Canada." It's a fear shared widely by other public health and infectious disease experts, who worry the move could also set back progress in fighting diseases like polio and malaria. Zimbabwe worries the move will hurt HIV/AIDS relief programs in the country and in other African nations, given that the withdrawal from the WHO could signal the U.S. might cut its foreign aid — something those programs rely upon. And Germany said Tuesday it would try to persuade the U.S. to reconsider pulling out of the WHO.    '50% chance' of a COVID-scale pandemic by 2050   Every day, an estimated 400,000 people cross the Canada-U.S. border, the largest land border in the world. And there are about 800,000 Canadian citizens living in the United States. All this means the infectious disease threat could be even more pressing for Canadians. Dr. Peter Singer, who was special adviser to the WHO director general between 2017 and 2023, says the decision will make Americans less healthy — and that'll also affect Canadians.  "If our biggest and best neighbour is not a member of WHO, that makes the world, the United States and Canada less safe from pandemics like the one we just went through," said Singer, who is also a professor emeritus at the University of Toronto. "Experts estimate there's a 50-per-cent chance that a COVID-scale pandemic will happen between now and 2050. We have to be prepared for that." Read more on why doctors say a U.S. withdrawal from the WHO could make Canadians unsafe. Cross-Canada health news from CBC 'I feel trapped': Regina meningitis patient faces barriers to rehabilitation support | CBC Saskatchewan Kingston, Ont., declares emergency as roughly 1 in 3 households struggle with food insecurity | CBC Ottawa This First Nation lost a 10-year-old girl to suicide. The community is speaking out about it | CBC Thunder Bay Drugs such as Ozempic and Wegovy may carry a myriad of health benefits and risks beyond diabetes and obesity. (George Frey/Reuters) Ozempic could also help fight dementia but raise other health risks, study says A study this week of 200,000 people in the U.S. taking GLP-1 agonists like Ozempic for diabetes suggested the drugs' potential benefits extend beyond those currently recognized, such as a lower risk of Alzheimer's disease. For those already prescribed GLP-1 medications to lose weight, Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, the study's senior author, said they may find other advantages, such as curbing addictions. "It will also help them to stop smoking," said Al-Aly, clinical epidemiologist at Washington University in Saint Louis, Mo. "In effect, they will be hitting two birds in one stone." Other possible benefits included lower risk for heart disease, stroke, most kidney diseases as well as lower incidence of schizophrenia and less suicidal ideation. But the U.S. researchers also found new risks associated with GLP-1 use, such as pancreatitis — an inflammation of the pancreas that can lead to life-threatening complications. Canadian physicians cautioned against broader use of the drugs until data supports it, such as from clinical trials that show cause-and-effect relationships beyond the associations in this study. Read more from CBC Health's Amina Zafar on why this class of drugs seem to be tied to such a wide array of potential benefits and risks.    ‘Prehab’ 2:00 THE NATIONAL VIDEO New Canadian research by Dr. Dan McIsaac suggests that ‘prehab,’ or hospital programs to get patients healthier ahead of their planned surgery through exercise, can result in reduced complications and recovery time.   WATCH THE BIG NUMBER   447 Alberta Health Services says it has identified 447 people with Shigella since August 2022 — 309 of whom were hospitalized.  The bacterial infection, one of the main causes of dysentery, spreads easily from person to person through an infected person's stool. The bacteria remain contagious for weeks after episodes of intense diarrhea. Stomach cramps and fever can also occur. The spread is preventable through simple hygiene and sanitation measures. But it's impacting some of the most vulnerable in Canadian cities — and becoming increasingly resistant to antibiotics. Toronto has an outbreak of 11 confirmed cases, all among people experiencing homelessness, who don't always have reliable access to facilities like washrooms. Toronto Public Health suspects that's an undercount.  For most of the cases in Toronto and Vancouver, no oral antibiotic therapies work. More severe cases require IV antibiotic treatment — meaning more people having to go to the already strained emergency department or hospital, doctors say. Read more from CBC Health's Jennifer Yoon on the call to give people who are unhoused access to public washrooms and washing sinks to prevent and not just treat outbreaks.    Stories we found interesting this week America just kinda, sorta banned cigarettes | The Atlantic Many doctors don't discuss sex after cancer. But survivors wish they would | NPR Human hands are astonishing tools. Here's why robots are struggling to match them | BBC Jan. 23 How can I cut back or even quit drinking alcohol?    The U.S. surgeon general has called for cancer warnings on alcohol and Health Canada suggests a maximum of two drinks a week. As Dry January winds down, we ask: How can I cut back or even quit drinking alcohol? Dr. Peter Butt, an addiction medicine specialist and clinical associate professor at the University of Saskatchewan, explains how much alcohol is too much and breaks down how people can cut back. Play on CBC Listen Jan. 25 & 26  Palliative home care isn't just for the patient. It's for their family Faced with a life-limiting illness, most Canadians would like to die at home. But only 13 per cent are offered the palliative support to do so – something that Dr. Sammy Winemaker is keen to change. The palliative home care physician takes Dr. Brian Goldman to meet the family of patient Shelley McCarthy two years after her death at home from thyroid cancer. They say a palliative approach of making sense of Shelley's many medical procedures and addressing the difficult questions head on should be offered early and include everyone in the family.   Tune in on CBC Listen Thanks for reading! You can email us any time at secondopinion@cbc.ca with your comments, questions, feedback or ideas. Subscribe to this newsletter if it was forwarded to you.    Follow us View in browser Canadian Broadcasting Corporation 250 Front St. W, Toronto, Ontario M5V 3G5 cbc.radio-canada.ca | radio-canada.ca | cbc.ca

President Trump sat down at the Resolute Desk and began signing executive orders. His signature impacted service members, immigration, the Supreme Court and in particular, religious liberty.

 

January 25, 2025 After all of the pomp and circumstance of Inauguration Day ended, President Trump sat down at the Resolute Desk and began signing executive orders. His signature impacted service members, immigration, the Supreme Court and in particular, religious liberty. To help us better understand the president’s executive orders, First Liberty’s Kelly Shackelford unpacks five of Trump’s orders and what they mean for the future of religious freedom. Trump’s actions Monday evening were a great start in returning our nation to the Constitution and putting us back on course. The threats to the Supreme Court are subsiding. The careers and reputations of service members kicked out of the military for refusing the COVID vaccine will be restored. And the government’s threats to free speech and its use of lawfare to intimidate and silence any opposition should end. President Trump’s actions give us a chance to advance religious freedom like never before. It is now possible for us to go on offense in the fight for faith. Will you stand with us and help secure the future of religious freedom for our children and grandchildren? Together, we can set the course of our nation for the next 25 years. GIVE Sent by First Liberty Institute 2001 W. Plano Parkway, Suite 1600 • Plano, TX 75075 • 972-941-4444 View Online | Donate |    © 2025 First Liberty Institute

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Charlamagne warns Dems ‘losing’ after ‘literally’ proving ‘every conspiracy theorist right’ with pardons January 24, 2025 | Mariane Angela | Print Article

 

Charlamagne warns Dems ‘losing’ after ‘literally’ proving ‘every conspiracy theorist right’ with pardons

January 24, 2025 | Mariane Angela |  Print Article

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Podcast host Charlamagne Tha God warned the Democrats on Friday and said that they are losing the cultural and political wars.

During the final hours of his presidency on Monday, former President Joe Biden issued preemptive pardons to Dr. Anthony Fauci, Gen. Mark Milley, and the members of the Jan. 6 committee, saying they should not become “targets of unjustified and politically motivated prosecutions.” On “Brilliant Idiots,” Charlamagne said that issuing these preemptive pardons was a misstep by the Democrats.

“I just want Democrats to be smarter, and I want Democrats to pay attention to what MAGA gets right. And I want them to start implementing some of that stuff on their own because they’re losing the cultural war,” Charlamagne said. “They’re losing, you know, their political optics is just terrible.”

Charlemagne said the Democrats are not just losing, they are also inadvertently validating every conspiracy theory.

“Right now, they have literally proved every conspiracy theorist right. You pardon, you do preemptive pardons for Dr. Fauci. Biden, you did preemptive pardons for your whole fucking family,” Charlamagne said.

These actions, Charlamagne added, have handed endless ammunition to right-wing media outlets.

“You have done nothing but give right wing outlets content forever,” Charlamagne said.

The pardon covers the period from 2014, during Fauci’s tenure on the White House Coronavirus Task Force and as chief medical advisor to Biden. Accusations that some people have made against Fauci include misleading Congress and dodging requests under the Freedom of Information Act.

Biden also pardoned five of his family members, including his two brothers. He also commuted the sentences of 2,500 individuals convicted of violent offenses, some of whom were involved in incidents that resulted in the death of a police officer.

President Donald Trump, during a press briefing this week, lambasted Biden for pardoning his family, saying that such actions implied their guilt and would have endangered his own chances of re-election if he had done the same.

Trump inquires about Schiff’s mug: ‘It looks like he got hit with a baseball bat or something’ January 25, 2025 | Sierra Marlee | Print Article

 

Trump inquires about Schiff’s mug: ‘It looks like he got hit with a baseball bat or something’

January 25, 2025 | Sierra Marlee |  Print Article

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President Donald Trump’s brutally honest way of speaking was once again on display as he took questions in North Carolina.

In the first few days of his second term, Trump is making clear that the main priority of his administration is the American people. On Friday, he traveled to disaster sites in Los Angeles and North Carolina, where people have been displaced and some still have seen no relief.

When asked how he felt about Sen. Adam Schiff joining him on the trip, Trump just had to point out the elephant in the room.

“Senator Schiff was joining you on this trip and he was too busy. Are you disappointed?” the reporter asked.

“I don’t know. I was told that Schiff was going to travel with us to California. I wasn’t thrilled, to be honest with you. And I saw him last night on television. It looks like he got hit with a baseball bat or something,” Trump said bluntly. “What happened to him? Something happened to him. It was well, it looked like he had a hit– it looked like he got beat around.”

“But I’ll ask [White House Press Secretary] Karoline [Leavitt] to find out what happened. You know, if he wanted to come out, I would have done that. But I don’t know, I- Somebody said that he wanted to come on the plane, but I think he’s staying back for the votes. There’s some pretty good votes going on,” the president added.

Indeed, Schiff has had a noticeable mark of some kind right above his eye. In a video on Trump’s executive orders, the lawmaker briefly touched on his appearance by saying, “Banged my head, really dumb, clumsy.”