Costings commissioned by independent MP Monique Ryan reveal the government could double how much funding it gives to innovative health research each year.

Despite their established effectiveness, uptake of the WHO best buys for tackling non-communicable diseases (NCDs) has been uneven and disappointing. Here we introduce the “quick buys”, an evidence-ba...

Over 120 top health and medical organizations joined the growing chorus of opposition to the Environmental Protection Agency's attempt to roll back the endangerment finding.

Claims of a link between paracetamol use in pregnancy and autism have been repeatedly disproven – despite what the US administration suggests I have treated more than 200,000 patients in almost 40 years of practising medicine. Autism is a complex disorder which can present in many different ways and in a spectrum of severity. Causation is a very important consideration and, as a paediatrician, I know that parents often ask why their child has autism. Particularly in the severe end of the autism spectrum, genetic disorders can present with autistic features; for example Angelman syndrome, Smith-Magenis syndrome, Williams syndrome and many others. However, for the majority of the children who are diagnosed with autism, no cause is found. We also know that the number of children diagnosed with autism in the developed world is increasing. There are many reasons for this, not least that we are better at diagnosing it. However, in my work I often heard the question “why is my child autistic?” Continue reading...

The Council of ATS comprises leaders from across the organization who advise the Board of Directors.

Background Globally, climate change is causing frequent and severe extreme heat events (EHEs). A large body of literature links EHEs to multiple health endpoints. While children’s physiology and activity patterns differ from those of adults in ways that are hypothesized to increase susceptibility to such endpoints, research gaps remain regarding the specific impacts of EHEs on child health. This study evaluated pediatric emergency healthcare utilizations associated with EHEs in Ontario. Methods Applying a space-time stratified case-crossover design, associations between EHEs (same-day or lagged exposure to 2 consecutive days of daily maximum temperatures above percentile thresholds) and 15 causes of pediatric emergency healthcare use in Ontario, Canada from 2005 to 2015 were analysed using conditional quasi-Poisson regression. In primary analyses, EHEs were defined as two or more consecutive days with temperatures above the 99th percentile of temperature within each respective forward sortation area (FSA). Emergency healthcare use was measured using hospital admissions as an indicator of severe outcomes, and emergency department (ED) visits as a sensitive measure of outcomes. Results Relative to non-EHE days, EHEs increased the rates of pediatric hospital admissions for respiratory illnesses by 26% (95% CI: 14-40%), asthma by 29% (16-44%); infectious and parasitic diseases by 36% (24-50%), lower respiratory infections by 50% (36-67%), and enteritis by 19% (7-32%). EHEs also increased the rates of ED visits for lower respiratory infections by 10% (0-21%), asthma by 18% (7-29%), heat-related illnesses by 211% (193-230%), heatstroke by 590% (550-622%), and dehydration by 35% (25-46%), but not for other causes. Admissions and ED visits due to injuries and transportation related injuries were negatively associated with EHEs. Neither all-cause hospital admissions nor ED visits were associated with EHEs. Conclusions In Ontario, EHEs decreased the rates of pediatric emergency healthcare utilization for injuries and increased the rates of respiratory illnesses, asthma, heat-related illnesses, heatstroke, dehydration, infectious and parasitic diseases, lower respiratory infections, and enteritis. Tailored policies and programs that reflect the specific heat-related vulnerabilities of children to respiratory and infectious illnesses are warranted in the face of a rapidly warming climate.