Emerson Curran's father talks about son's organ donation

The father of a 20-year-old man who died in an Edmonton hospital after sustaining head injuries in Yellowknife is hoping his son's story will encourage more Canadians to donate their organs.

Emerson Curran was badly beaten in a fight at a house party in Yellowknife in August and died in hospital in Edmonton. 

Michael Curran, Emerson's father, is now speaking out about how the death of his son turned into an inspiring lesson about the importance of organ donations.

Emerson Curran had been working at Air Tindi in Yellowknife for the summer. He had been studying philosophy at the University of Ottawa.

On Aug. 24 his parents got a call in the middle of the night at their home in Ottawa informing them Emerson had been seriously injured. At the airport they got a second call telling them Emerson's head injury was worse and he was being medevaced to the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Edmonton. By the time his parents arrived there from Ottawa, doctors told them he was gone.

Michael Curran says Emerson had spoken to his mother once during a long car trip about his wish to donate his organs.

"He was sharing his views on life and the afterlife and for some, now we think very odd reason, he made his views on organ donation very clear to my wife, saying if he was to pass. he thought his organs should be used to save the lives of other people."

The Currans asked for Emerson's organs to be donated. His heart, lungs, liver, two kidneys and his pancreas were transplanted.

Michael Curran says he is speaking out about his family's experience because he says a lot of people feel organ donation is done for the recipients, but that there are benefits to the family of the donor as well. 

"This was a nightmare situation that we went through, and the organ donation process for me and my wife was a real sign of hope in a very bleak situation."

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Human egg trade operates in regulatory void

 A Toronto woman who says she was paid thousands to donate her ova is advocating for Canada to protect the health of donors in the wild west of reproductive technology.
 
Claire Burns co-founded a support group called weareeggdonors.com. Burns started the donation process in 2003, which she said was an isolating experience.
 
"Knowing now what I did not know then, I really feel like I wasn't able to make the most informed decision going into egg donation and I would not donate again," said Burns, who has also written a play called Hatched, about egg donation.
 
"It's a women's health issue, so we need to ensure the health of the donors are being respected and prioritized."
 
Egg donors can face complications, said Françoise Baylis, a professor and Canada Research Chair in bioethics and philosophy at Dalhousie University in Halifax.
 
"How many egg donors understand that there's a possibility you could be infertile as a result of your participation in this?" Baylis asked. "The possibility is small."
 
Egg donation is going on overseas and in the U.S., said Dr. Matt Gysler, president of the Canadian Fertility and Andrology Society.  
 
"There is a complication called hyperstimulation syndrome," said Gysler. "Very young patients, like the egg donors often are, are at significant risk. So if you do it, it has to be done very cautiously by a very well-trained individual."

In Canada, the regulations for egg donation are in limbo, Gysler agreed. "Bring it out of the dark and into the open and surrounded by appropriate safeguards for those individuals that are willing to donate."  
 
Baylis explained that in Canada, it's illegal to buy human eggs but it's not illegal to sell them.  
 
"Part of the reason for that difference in the legislation is that we didn't want to target or victimize yet again the women who might be participating in this transaction."
 
Under the regulations, women can also be reimbursed for expenses that have receipts, Baylis said.  
 
Baylis moderated a forum in Toronto on Thursday night that explored the ethical and legal consequences of the trade in human eggs, including the question of what are legitimate reimbursable expenses.
 
Burns, who was one of the panellists, said payments should be allowed.  
 
"I was paid $4,000," Burns recalled in an interview. "It kind of left a sour note in my stomach about the financial transaction having to be so underground."

Baylis said the grey market exists because the federal government will not enforce its own legislation. "If I was being cynical, I would say it's because they don't care about women."

She called on Health Canada to fulfil its responsibilities.

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For many Canadian doctors, managing pain is 'not a high priority'

This week on The Sunday Edition

Michael's Essay: Atheists should stop behaving like persecuted outsiders.

Understanding pain

Dr. Fernando Cervero is working to change the way we think about and treat pain. He's a professor of anesthesia and the director of the Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain at McGill University in Montreal. He's also president of the International Association for the Study of Pain.

Documentary: Figures in Flight

We meet a group of convicted murderers, drug dealers and sex offenders, who have spent many decades behind bars. Now... they are learning to dance.

Tackling public pensions

Demographics are threatening public pensions, and two provinces are tackling the problem head on. Michael talks with Alberta's finance minister, Doug Horner, and with the chair of New Brunswick's Pension Task Force, Sue Rowland.

Rebecca Solnit

Rebecca Solnit's new book is called The Faraway Nearby. She's wise and insightful, passionate and compassionate. Among other things, she talks to Michael about what her mother's descent into Alzheimer's taught her about letting go. 

Craig's Retreat

What's it like to live like a monk? Craig Desson reports from his 10-day silent meditation retreat -- waking at 4 a.m. and not reading, writing, speaking or eating after noon.

The headlines are full of breakthroughs heralding new treatments and cures for a host of debilitating and lethal diseases and conditions. 

But for the millions of Canadians who suffer from chronic pain, relief - let alone a cure - is still elusive. 

According to the Canadian Pain Society, one in five Canadians suffers from chronic pain. Yet treatment has not been a priority in our health care system; instead, people who complain of chronic pain are all too often derided as whiners. 

They say doctors are incredulous that their pain - which might have no apparent cause - could possibly be that bad. Or else they're just counselled to grin and bear it.

That nonchalance reflects an attitude in western cultures, where pain is largely considered a sign of virtue and a test of character, says Dr. Fernando Cervero, director of the Alan Edwards Centre for Research on Pain at McGill University.

Attitudes slowly changing

But Dr. Cervero notes that social attitudes are changing. Patients and their advocates are demanding better and more timely treatment for chronic pain. But the medical establishment has not kept pace with those changes. For example, veterinary students receive much more training in pain management than medical students.

The societal change in attitudes toward pain "has not completely permeated all the way to the medical schools," Dr. Cervero told The Sunday Edition's Michael Enright. "In a curriculum that is getting more and more busy with more and more discoveries in medicine – and we all have to fight for time in the medical curriculum – pain is not a high priority."

Dr. Cervero, who will be speaking at an international symposium on pain at McGill University on Oct. 3, says more must be done to make the relief of pain, especially for chronic pain sufferers, a top priority in Canadian health care.

"It's not right for people to suffer unnecessarily," he said.

You can hear Michael Enright's full conversation with Dr. Fernando Cervero on CBC Radio's The Sunday Edition on Radio One this Sunday, just after the 9 a.m. news.

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FDA adds severe warning to Pfizer antibiotic Tygacil

The FDA says Tygacil should only be used in situations where other treatments aren't suitable.

U.S. regulators are putting their harshest warning on Pfizer's antibiotic Tygacil, saying the drug is associated with an
increased risk of death.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said Friday Tygacil, or tigecycline, should only be used in situations when other treatments aren't suitable. The intravenous drug is approved as a treatment for complicated skin and skin structure infections and community-acquired bacterial pneumonia.

The FDA will add a boxed warning to the drug label, its most serious type of warning.

In 2010 the FDA said Tygacil was associated with a greater risk of death than other antibacterial drugs. It says a new analysis confirmed that conclusion. The risk was greatest in patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia. Tygacil hasn't been approved for that condition.

The agency said it's not clear why the drug is associated with a higher risk of death compared to other drugs.

Tygacil is listed in Health Canada's online database of approved drugs.

The New York drugmaker reported $335 million US in Tygacil revenue last year, including $152 million in U.S. sales.

Shares of Pfizer Inc. rose 37 cents to $28.89 US in afternoon trading.

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Alberta flood: High River ponds contain E. coli months later

A potentially deadly strain of bacterium, called E. coli 0.157, has been found in two ponds in High River, Alta., according to water test results conducted for CBC News.

CBC hired the independent water-testing company Benchmark Labs to examine water in the flood-ravaged community south of Calgary.

Alberta flood: 100 days later

CBC News has special coverage planned for Thursday and Friday as we look back at the first 100 days since the June flood, including more on soil and water testing from High River.

We will have features on CBC Radio One, our local television news and an interactive online website.

Supper-hour host Rosa Marchitelli will anchor CBC News Calgary from High River on Friday.  

Ian Hanomansing will also broadcast part of The National from southern Alberta.

The tests also discovered that three bodies of water in the town exceeded provincial recreational guidelines for total coliform bacteria, said Benchmark Labs head Chris Bolton.

Alberta's Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. James Talbot released a statement to the media on Thursday reacting to the discovery of E. coli.

"The story that aired on CBC Calgary's Sept. 26 morning show identifies a threat of E. coli in a standing water pond that is not a human drinking water source," said Talbot.

He stressed that public health officials have tested High River's drinking water extensively since the flood and said it remains safe.

"The fact that there still is E. coli in the floodwater around High River is not unexpected. It's also very common to have E. coli 0157 wherever there are dogs, cats, wildlife or runoff from livestock operations," he said.

"We continually track E.coli 0157 infections rates in this province. We did so before the flood, during the flood and after the flood, and there have been no cases in High River this year."

Benchmark Labs did not test drinking water in the town, but Bolton worries about potential contamination.

• Listen to his full interview on the Calgary Eyeopener.

Bolton warned against High River children and pets playing in or around water.

High River resident Miguel Rodriguez shares that concern.

June's flood swamped his family's home in the hard-hit community of Hampton Hills.

Mike Warren of Mending Homes took samples of water in High River for analysis at Benchmark Labs in Calgary. (Brooks DeCillia/CBC)

"I'm afraid to let my kids out and play. There's contamination there for sure," Rodriguez told CBC News.  

Bolton is also worried about pets making humans sick. 

"If your pet's out in the water bringing the wet fur back ... then, that is of immediate concern," he said.

The water expert worries about a deadly repeat of Canada's worst-ever outbreak of E. coli contamination in Walkerton, Ont., roughly 13 years ago. Tainted water in the town killed seven people and made another 2,300 sick. 

"With 0.157, everyone knows what that is. [It] can make you seriously ill or die," Bolton said.

He wonders why provincial authorities haven't warned the public.

"Most people assume that it's OK because there is no public health notice," he said.

"When it had its big flood — its 100-year flood — that came two weeks after the one we had here in Calgary, Ontario immediately posted public health notices once they found levels that were very similar to these," Bolton said.

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Canadian doctor total at record high

All provinces except Manitoba reported an increase in the number of physicians last year, according to reports by the Canadian Institute for Health Information that were released Thursday. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian Press)

Canada had a record 75,142 doctors last year and they earned $328,000 gross on average, according to two new reports.

The annual reports on physician supply and payments for both general practitioners and specialists were released Thursday by the Canadian Institute for Health Information.

"The year 2012 saw the highest level of physicians per capita ever recorded in Canada," the authors of the reports said.

What's more, the six-year trend of growth in the number of doctors outpacing population growth is expected to continue since data from medical schools indicate more students are graduating with MD degrees.

Between 2008 and 2012, the number of female physicians increased by nearly 24 per cent, while the number of male doctors increased by 10 per cent. In all provinces, women represented a larger proportion of family doctors than specialists.

Since 2008, the number of doctors working in rural areas increased five times faster than the rural population, with almost 6,400 physicians in 2012.

But the numbers alone don't present the full picture. It's important to ask not just how many doctors are needed, but where are they most needed and in what specialties, said Geoff Ballinger, CIHI's manager of physician information.

Kristin Speth, 35, of Toronto, has been looking for a regular doctor since she moved from Alberta four years ago. She's had headaches since childhood and has been going to walk-in clinics but is frustrated with the experience.

She's tried the provincial service to find a doctor but keeps getting notices saying there are no leads.

"It is extremely frustrating," said Speth.

"It's just so hard to find someone who will just stay longer than the one year that I need for my physical. They just don't stick around or you know, you can't find anyone who is taking new patients."

 In 2011-12, clinical payments to doctors' offices also increased nine per cent over the previous year to more than $22 billion, the institute reported. In the two previous years, the increases were 6.1 per cent and 7.9 per cent, respectively.

How doctors are paid is also changing.

Fee-for-service payments that reimburse doctors for each clinical service they provide continued to be the majority, at 71 per cent, last year. The average cost per service paid was $56.99.

Out of the gross amount, doctors pay for taxes, rent, salaries and equipment.

Alternative clinical payments, such as paying by hour or by the number of patients in a doctor's practice, rose to 29 per cent, up from 11 per cent of total payments a decade ago.

"Now they're being paid in ways that encourages them to see perhaps fewer patients but spend more time with patients, which is particularly important for older patients or patients with chronic disease," Ballinger said in an interview.

Ontario's health minister, Deb Matthews, said the province is moving towards team-based models of care that maximizes the ability of nurses, nurse practitioners and others to provide primary care.

The per capita number of doctors "becomes a little bit less meaningful than it would have in the old days when you had a family doctor or nothing at all," said Matthews.

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Is the anti-bullying message getting through?

Despite all the high profile media campaigns, government programs and school initiatives launched to address youth bullying, tragic stories continue to emerge about teenagers continuing to suffer.

This week, the mother of 15-year-old Saskatchewan teen Todd Loik, said her son —​ just like Rehtaeh Parsons, Amanda Todd, Jamie Hubley and Mitchell Wilson — killed himself after years of being tormented by his schoolmates.

It was yet another story where bullying looks to have played some role in the suicide of a young teen. But despite the attention governments and school boards are devoting  to developing an anti-bullying strategy, questions remain about how effective is the message, and is it reaching its target audience?

"I guess it's not effective enough if young people are being tormented," said Debra Pepler, a York University psychology professor who helped establish PREVNet — Promoting Relationships and Eliminating Violence Network. 

The issue, however, has certainly gotten its fair share of media attention.

Celebrities have taken part in multimedia anti-bullying campaigns, like the It Gets Better pledge that reached out to gay, lesbian, transgender and other bullied teens. And schools and provinces have also launched initiatives. 

Ontario passed the Accepting Schools Act last year, while B.C. announced its 10-point Expect Respect And a Safe Education (ERASE) bullying strategy. And this year,  Nova Scotia implemented its new Cyber-Safety Act, aimed at protecting victims and holding bullies responsible.

Meanwhile, in June, the prime minister's wife Laureen Harper joined then heritage minister James Moore and Ottawa city councillor Allan Hubley, whose son killed himself after being bullied, to announce $250,000 in funding for the training of 2,400 young people to deliver anti-bullying workshops in their communities and to reach out to others.

Shelley Hymel, a professor in the faculty of education at the University of British Columbia, noted that the issue has become a worldwide concern, and that in some countries progress has been made. Schools that have instituted anti-bullying policies have shown a 20 per cent reduction in the behaviour, she said.

However, she added, "I think the reductions we're talking about, although in the right direction, they're still pretty darn small. Twenty per cent, that means there's 80 per cent still going on. And there are a lot of schools who don't have this as a priority," she told CBC News. "So I think there's still a lot of work to do."

Hymel added that attitudes are evolving for the better on how to approach the problem. Schools and researchers are now taking a much broader view of the issue, and changing many long-held assumptions that include,  for example, that bullying is only carried on by socially incompetent kids.

Rehtaeh Parsons,17, died in April following a suicide attempt. Her family said she had been tormented at school for over a year by lewd comments and photos taken of her, and texted to her classmates. (Facebook)

"One of the big approaches that's happening, and this is kind of worldwide, is getting at peer observers," she said, adding that two or three kids witness every incident.

"We're trying to get kids to move from bystanders to 'upstanders.' Getting the kids involved,  you're trying to change the climate of the school, to where the culture basically says 'this is not OK.'"

Hymel said they've been collecting bullying-related data at B.C schools over the last four years. 

At one school, where the issue became a priority among staff, they initially saw no reductions in bullying.

"But now after four years we're seeing real significant reductions in kids' reports of bullying and victimization. So it takes a long time to change the culture of a school," she said.

Tracy Vaillancourt, Canada Research Chair in children's mental health and violence prevention at the University of Ottawa, cautioned that the media is creating a perception of a bullying crisis that really isn't there, and that research suggests bullying is no worse than it has ever been.

She also said it may still be too soon to measure the effectiveness of some of the recent anti-bullying strategies.

But some of the problems with current programs, she said, is this one-size-fits-all type of mentality. Every school will get the same anti-bullying program without taking into consideration the different demographics and culture of the facility.

"I think what happens is that we have these policy programs that worked in one school, and then we try to roll them out to other schools and they don't work."

There's also more to dealing with bullying than just addressing the problem at school, Pepler said.

"We've put it at the door of the school and said you solve it. And it's not a school problem. It's a problem at home, it's a problem at school, it's a problem with peer groups, it's a problem in the community, it's a problem everywhere we aggregate children and youth.

It's not a problem that schools can solve on their own."

Too often, people are looking for a simple fix or single program that fixes all, Hymel said.

"And the one thing we figured out in 40 years of research in this area is that there's no simple solution and there's no single reason why kids bully.

"There's lots of reason why kids bully and we have to treat each one differently."

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Badger baby sunscreen recall alert issued by Health Canada

Health Canada says parents who purchased affected lots of sunscreen should return the product to the point of purchase. (Courtesy FDA)

Health Canada says two children's sunscreens are being recalled due to contamination with a trio of bacteria that can cause serious infections.

Badger Baby SPF 30 Sunscreen Lotion and Badger Kids SPF 30 Sunscreen Lotion are being recalled in Canada. Additional lots are being recalled in the U.S., which Canadian travellers may have purchased.

Manufacturer W.S. Badger Company Inc. says the microbes found cause pneumonia, meningitis and infections of the blood, bone, urinary tract and gastrointestinal system.

Those with weakened immune systems from such conditions as cystic fibrosis, cancer or diabetes, or with burns or other skin conditions, have a heightened risk of infection.

In healthy consumers, bacteria can enter the body through cuts and burns and may cause skin and blood infections, as well as eye and outer ear infections.

Health Canada says parents who purchased affected lots of sunscreen should return the product to the point of purchase.

The sunscreens were found to contain Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida parapsilosis and Acremonium fungi, but no adverse reactions from use of the products have been reported to Health Canada or the company.

Badger Baby SPF 30 Sunscreen Lotion and Badger Kids SPF 30 Sunscreen Lotion are sold across Canada. Two importers have been identified: Purity Life Health Products in Acton, Ont., and Christmas Natural in Burnaby, B.C.

The Canadian recall affects Badger Baby sunscreen lots 3057A and 3132A and Badger Kids sunscreen lot 3164A.

The U.S. recall also includes "Baby" sunscreen lots 3024A, 3063A, 3063B, 3132A and 3133A.

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Badger baby sunscreen recalled for microbial contamination

W.S. Badger Company is voluntarily recalling certain lots of Daily SPF 30 Kids & Baby Sunscreen Lotions after microbial contamination was found during a routine quality check. (Courtesy FDA)

Some Badger baby sunscreen lotion is being voluntarily recalled because of potential microbial contamination.

"The products were tested and found to be contaminated with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Candida parapsilosis and Acremonium fungi," the U.S. Food and Drug Adminsitration said.

The sunscreens are sold in Canada and U.S. online and at major retailers as well as independent food co-ops and pharmacies, the U.S. regulator said.

In a notice to customers on its website, the company listed three lots and UPC codes for recalled products sold in Canada and seven for products sold in the U.S.

No adverse reactions have been reported due to use of the products, W.S. Badger Company said.

"My understanding of the toxicologist's report is that the 'organisms' found in the failed products are also commonly found in the environment and on our skin," CEO Bill Whyte said on the company's website on Tuesday. "They are unlikely to cause problems except for in immune-compromised persons or for persons with severely damaged skin."

The issue was discovered during routine re-testing. The preservative system in several lots had been compromised, Whyte said.

He added that he was reassured that over 20,000 have been sold with zero reports of adverse reactions.

As a precaution, the company is recalling all lots of SPF30 Baby Sunscreen Lotions.

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Dermatology apps 'an area of buyer beware'

Smartphone apps could misdiagnose melanoma. (The Canadian Press)

Mobile apps to track and diagnose skin diseases are widespread and have the potential to expand the delivery of care but should be used with caution, researchers say.

In Wednesday's issue of JAMA Dermatology, researchers identified a total of 229 dermatology-related apps for uses such as monitoring psoriasis, diagnosing melanoma and giving sun screen advice.

"This is an area of buyer beware because there are no regulations and no guarantees that these apps are providing accurate medical information," Dr. Robert Dellavalle, senior author of the study and a professor of dermatology at the University of Colorado School of Medicine, said in a release.

Smartphones apps are useful in dermatology since visual exams are key to diagnosis and management, the study's authors said.

On Monday, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it will only regulate apps that act like medical instruments, such as those that perform ultrasounds.

Dermatology apps vary in function, from documenting lesions and uploading photos to a dermatologist for feedback to logging treatment regimens. Many apps are disease guides that focused on one disease, such as acne, rosacea, psoriasis or eczema.

The 10 apps with the most consumer reviews were:

1.  Ultraviolet-UV Index.
2.  VisualDx.
3.  SPF.
4.  iSore.
5.  SpotMole.
6.  Pocket Derm.
7. Skin Scan.
8. Doctor Mole.
9. What's My Rash?
10. Skin Conditions.

The study's authors said the apps offer the chance to expand care to underserved communities.

About 51 per cent of the apps targeted patients.

Dellavalle said he thinks most apps are generally safe but he would cross-reference them with other apps, other people and your doctor.

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