Health news

The U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration issued new recommendations on Monday that will eventually allow women and people assigned female at birth easier access to at-home self-testing kits for the human papilloma virus (HPV), which is sexually-transmitted and can cause cervical cancer.

When people who are overweight and obese stopped taking their weight-loss medications they regained weight faster than those who stopped a diet or exercise program, a new review of studies finds.

When people who are overweight and obese stopped taking their weight-loss medications they regained weight faster than those who stopped a diet or exercise program, a new review of studies finds.

Alberta's measles outbreaks sparked more than 2,000 cases of the highly infectious illness in 2025, and while transmission has dropped dramatically, experts warn the virus remains a threat in the year ahead.

The administration of U.S. President Donald Trump on Wednesday announced a new slate of dietary guidelines that recommends Americans eat more protein and less sugar than previously advised and that consumers avoid highly processed foods to achieve a healthy diet.

With generic versions of the weight-loss drug Ozempic expected to hit the Canadian market this year, provincial data shows the number of times the medication has been dispensed from pharmacies across Manitoba has more than quadrupled over the past four years.

After Quebec’s controversial Bill 2 led to some clinics threatening or planning to close, and others dealing with doctors leaving, some now say they’re reconsidering after the government agreed to both delay and significantly amend the law.

For the second time in less than a week, the emergency department at the hospital in the district municipality of 100 Mile House was closed temporarily as the mayor of the community in British Columbia’s South Cariboo region calls for meaningful long-term solutions.

A nurse is warning rural hospitals may have an even tougher time filling shifts in the new year as the Manitoba government ends its relationship with dozens of companies supplying its health-care system with agency nurses.

Cocaine, heroin and ecstasy, paid for with credit cards and e-transfers, delivered by Canada Post: For weeks, CBC Ottawa and Radio-Canada exchanged messages with people who have been buying these illegal drugs on the open internet. Eventually, one agreed to share his story.

In Canada, the patent for some semaglutide drugs has expired, paving the way for the country to become the first to offer cheaper generic versions of medications like Ozempic and Wegovy to people with prescriptions. Pharmaceutical experts say this could take some time.

Nova Scotia Health says 50 American health-care workers have taken positions in Nova Scotia in the past fiscal year, up from 31 in 2024.

Expectant mothers in the Gaspé are frequently redirected to hospitals hours away to give birth, and some are warning the situation may grow even worse if the province doesn't intervene.

Two University of Calgary researchers believe the structure of modern-day residency programs can be connected to William Stewart Halsted, who revolutionized medical training in North America — and his addiction to cocaine.

Hundreds of pistachios and pistachio-containing products have been recalled in Canada in recent months.

When Zahra Khozema first started going to the gym in university, it made her feel powerful and beautiful. The guilt and stress came later.

Most people who take prescription opioids as an alternative to illicit drugs must now take them under the supervision of a pharmacist. Some worry the move will push people back to toxic street drugs, while others say the changes were long overdue.

The Northwestern Health Unit has confirmed a case of measles in the Kenora area of northwestern Ontario, in a year that saw an alarming rise in cases in Canada and the country lose its measles elimination status.

After tragedy struck their team, the Toronto Dingos turned to a simple weekly tradition — sharing video life updates — creating a culture of connection that experts say highlights why friendship matters more than ever.

Six months after a measles outbreak first began in northeast B.C., Northern Health says the virus will continue to circulate in the region well into 2026, prolonging the strain on healthcare workers and keeping vulnerable people at risk.

Many people associate Calgary's warm chinook winds with the onset of headaches, but experts say the science behind the correlation remains unclear.

When Chris Mallinos’s son Theo was diagnosed with leukemia, he was prepared for the physical isolation that would come with avoiding infection during Theo's treatment. However, Mallinos wasn't prepared for the emotional isolation of his son being a cancer parent.

A downtown Toronto long-term care home is rebuilding with a new design that considers lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic, going beyond the province’s standards — but some say those standards are out of date. 

Minister of Hospital and Surgical Health Services Matt Jones said on social media Friday that he had directed Acute Care Alberta to work with Covenant Health to review the circumstances and potential contributing factors.

More than 53,000 eligible Manitobans have accessed birth control at no cost in the first year of the provincial government's free contraception program, the province says. 

Did you know ambulance services on Prince Edward Island were once largely provided by funeral homes?

Mission Memorial Hospital in B.C.'s Fraser Valley is closing its emergency department during overnight hours from from Dec. 29 to Jan. 6 due to staffing challenges.

A Langley, B.C., care facility that blends village life with dementia support is now the focus of a national study examining whether an outdoor, community-style approach can improve quality of life for people with dementia. Researchers hope evidence from the project will inform future policy and make models like this more accessible and affordable.

Is the Canadian Dental Care Plan making a difference in Saskatchewan? Health Canada reports 95,903 people in the province have been accepted into the program.

As the sport grows in Canada, medical professionals say they are seeing the effect it is having on people physically.

The Public Health Agency of Canada is reporting a fifth hospitalization in an E. coli outbreak linked to recalled Pillsbury
brand Pizza Pops. The federal agency says 23 people in seven provinces got sick with the bacterial illness after eating or handling
certain flavours of the frozen snack between early October and late November.

The Public Health Agency of Canada is reporting a fifth hospitalization in an E. coli outbreak linked to recalled Pillsbury
brand Pizza Pops. The federal agency says 23 people in seven provinces got sick with the bacterial illness after eating or handling
certain flavours of the frozen snack between early October and late November.

Health officials are warning emergency wards about the circulation of Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib) among homeless adults living in Calgary.

The IWK is urging people in the Maritimes to get vaccinated for the flu after reporting a big increase in the number of children coming to emergency rooms with flu-like symptoms. 

'Tis the season to get sick — and for families and friends to pass around bugs like unwanted gifts. So before you head from one celebration to another, here are some helpful tips for avoiding the flu and other respiratory illnesses over the holidays.

Marina Hills's son Henry Losco died on Dec. 19 in their apartment at 1827 Albert St., after carbon monoxide spread leaked in the building while maintenance work was being done. Her husband Sergio Losco survived but is still in hospital.

Flu cases across Canada are on the rise and may push hospitals to their limits over the holidays and into the new year, leading health officials in regions across the country to warn people not to visit emergency rooms unless it's absolutely necessary.

Between office parties, family gatherings and plans with friends, there can be lots of socializing crammed into the final weeks of the calendar. But experts say finding pockets of solitude can offer a reprieve.

The recall extends to a number of kinds of Pizza Pops of various packaging sizes with best-before dates for mid-June 2026. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency says the contaminated food may not look or smell spoiled, but can still make you sick.

Here’s what’s on the CBC Health Unit’s watch list for 2026: New approaches to connecting people with family doctors, anticipated changes to cancer screening, misinformation and vaccine wariness, future uses for GLP-1 agonists (like Ozempic and Wegovy) and the morphing toxic drug crisis.

A dog in Alberta died in November after being exposed to highly pathogenic avian influenza. It's the second confirmed fatal case of avian flu in a domestic dog in Canada, with the first being reported in Ontario in 2023.

Quebec’s family doctors have voted overwhelmingly in favour of an agreement that will incentivize them to take on an additional 500,000 patients by next June.

A new study published in JAMA Internal Medicine has evaluated the efficacy of Ontario's policy implemented during the COVID-19 pandemic that required all long-term care homes to have air conditioning in resident rooms.

Dr. Vivien Suttorp, who has been the lead medical health officer for the province's South Zone, has been appointed to the role, the first to take on the job on a permanent basis since Dr. Deena Hinshaw was ousted in 2022.

Newfoundland and Labrador’s chief medical officer of health is urging residents to get a flu shot ahead of the holidays.

When retired RCMP constable Jason Hydamacka heard the news that the insurance money for his amputated leg was coming, he sat in his truck and cried. Originally denied the coverage, Canada Life reversed its decision after CBC News reached out to it.

Long wait times for gynecological surgeries are putting many Canadian women at risk, doctors say. Surgical wait times vary across the country, but a 2020 study found that a gynecologist consultation alone can take up to four and a half months on average.

Diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in her late 30s, Sandra Demontigny pushed Quebec to allow advanced requests for MAID. While Quebec has become a leader internationally for the practice over the past decade, she hopes others keep up the fight in the rest of Canada.

Horizon Health CEO Melanson says the holidays can bring an influx of visitors to emergency rooms as primary health-care providers work under reduced hours, and respiratory illnesses spread through communities.

Alberta has closed one of three supervised consumption sites in Edmonton, continuing the push to shutter such locations as the
province moves away from overdose prevention to focus on recovery and treatment.