CBC Health News

The toxic drug crisis has taken more than 47,000 lives in Canada since 2016 and the synthetic opioid fentanyl has become a household name. But now, an even more potent class of synthetic drug is showing up in drug busts across the country: nitazenes.

A recent inspection of a Tom's of Maine facility found that the company's toothpaste was made using bacteria-tainted water, among other health violations, according to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.

A measles outbreak in New Brunswick is set to push Canada's annual case count to the highest it's been in five years, highlighting how infectious the disease is and how low vaccination rates have allowed it to take hold, says an immunologist.

More than a year after the death of their daughter, Wesley and Sheila Lees say they're still trying to understand what unfolded at the Aberdeen Regional Hospital, and what needs to change to prevent similar tragedies. 

For the first time, Nova Scotia Health has a dedicated gender-affirming top surgery program with specifically trained surgeons who have a mandate to provide the care. Two surgeons have been recruited for the program in the last two years.

A team of scientists, including one from Saskatoon, say they have strong evidence the COVID-19 virus jumped from infected animals to humans in a market in Wuhan, China, and didn't originate with a lab leak.

The new head of the National Microbiology Lab in Winnipeg has some homework to do before taking over in January — starting with a long-awaited parliamentary committee report that recommends ending all government-funded research in sensitive areas with people or entities from within China.

Leaders from Netmizaaggamig Nishnaabeg First Nation – also known as Pic Mobert First Nation – held a press conference at Queen's Park Tuesday morning to demand more support for what it's calling "a crisis in violence, organized crime, addiction and mental health." Here's what community leaders want to see done.

About 2.5 million people — nearly the populations of Manitoba and Saskatchewan combined — aren't getting adequate care for their mental health, according to a new report.

Dr. Doug Eyolfson says Grace's ER was built to handle 30 active patients, but that number surged to 52 on Sunday — with another 40 people in the waiting room. He said some people waiting for a bed were left on stretchers in the hallways.

Premier Susan Holt says her government will launch a transparent scientific investigation by early next year into the mystery brain illness a Moncton neurologist claims is now affecting hundreds of New Brunswickers, and people from six other provinces, with help from the federal government.

One person has died and at least 39 others have been made ill by E. coli infections linked to organic carrots sold by several large grocery retailers in 18 states, U.S. health officials say. The carrots were also shipped to stores in Canada and Puerto Rico.

Doctors on Vancouver Island say they're setting up unsanctioned overdose prevention sites on the grounds of two hospitals this week because the B.C. government hasn't lived up to its promise to set aside space for the sites. 

After an investigation into allegations that Newfoundland and Labrador Health Services staff were buying houses to rent to agency and internationally trained nurses, the health authority says it terminated 51 leases.

Ontario has tabled a bill that aims to shutter 10 supervised consumption sites the government deems are too close to schools and daycares.

The first day of a coroner's inquest into the death of a Black man who died in 2016 after a violent altercation with Ottawa police began Monday with a rare glimpse into his life before coming to Ottawa, and his mental health struggles once he arrived in the city.

Quebec has introduced its first-ever action plan aimed at improving access to abortion in the province and reaffirming women's right to choose, particularly in light of the setbacks to reproductive rights unfolding in the United States.

New research suggests girls are falling behind boys when it comes to participating in sports in Canada, prompting calls to close the gap and keep girls active.

Robot and telecommunications cuts down on travel and cost to access physio and rehab services in Pinaymootang and Lake Manitoba First Nations.

Some doctors are being accused of offering shoddy or biased evidence in cases where big insurance companies are looking to block or reduce payouts for people hurt in car crashes. Yet they face no penalties or sanctions for their flawed reports, and nothing is stopping them from appearing in court again, says an expert.