Tag Archives: Moira Wyton

Family

The Record Is Good for Babies Delivered by Midwives

By Moira Wyton, The Tyee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

Expanding midwifery care in British Columbia could help improve pregnancy outcomes for birthing parents and babies, particularly those  in rural and remote areas, according to a new study from B.C.-based  researchers.

Pregnant people under the  care of midwives were less likely to have underweight or preterm babies,  or to require the use of forceps, vacuums or caesarean sections to  deliver their babies than patients being cared for by only family doctors or  obstetricians, a Monday study in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found. 

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Health

It’s the ‘Eve of Decriminalization’ for Drug Possession in BC

By Moira Wyton, The Tyee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

People who use drugs are cautiously optimistic about British Columbia’s forthcoming move to decriminalize possession of some  drugs, but frontline harm reduction groups across the province say  uncertainty about how it will be enforced is hampering their efforts to  prepare.

On Jan. 31, B.C. will  become the first jurisdiction in Canada to decriminalize possession of  small amounts of cocaine, fentanyl, heroin, MDMA and methamphetamine for  personal use. 

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Health

A Promising New Way to Prevent HIV Infections

By Moira Wyton, The Tyee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

A British Columbia-led research group is paving the way for a landmark preventative HIV medication it hopes can reduce Canada’s stagnant rates of new HIV infections. 

Long-acting pre-exposure prophylaxis, or PrEP, is more than 99 per cent effective  at preventing the development of HIV when it is injected every two  months, according to clinical trial data reported by manufacturer ViiV  Healthcare. 

The injectable drug, cabotegravir, was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last December but has not yet been submitted to Health Canada for approval. 

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Health

Why Monkeypox Vaccine Tourism Is a Good Thing

By Moira Wyton, The Tyee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

When Jackson Hern asked his primary care doctor about getting the monkeypox vaccine in Seattle last week, he was surprised by the lack of  information she had to offer.

Concerns about a rising number of monkeypox cases among gay men in Seattle had been all over Hern’s social media accounts. 

But Hern, 29, found out he wouldn’t be eligible for a vaccine against the virus in Seattle until the fall.

That is, until a friend told him he’d been able to get one in Vancouver, and sent Hern the link to book an appointment.

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Health

Toxic Drug Toll Continues Deadly Climb

By Moira Wyton, The Tyee, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

British Columbia’s toxic drug supply killed 195 more people in May, putting 2022 on course to be the third consecutive deadliest year in the  public health emergency.

More than six people died each day on average in May, the BC Coroners Service reported today. That’s the highest number ever recorded in the month of May.

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