July

Should we be concerned about commercially harvested shellfish in BC? Definitely. Three separate outbreaks of shellfish poisoning were traced to commercially harvested, government-inspected product in recent years. In 2010, a noro­virus outbreak that caused 36 illnesses among raw oyster consumers was attributed to commercial harvesters discharging vomitus overboard a boat within the harvest area.[1] In 2011, 62 people became ill during the first recorded outbreak of diarrhetic shellfish poisoning on the Pacific Northwest coast.

Jurisdictions do not agree on when to begin routine population-based screening for cervical cancer. Recent guidelines in the United States[1] and Ontario[2] recommend that screening start at age 21, while screening in some European countries begins at age 25 (e.g., England) or even as late as age 30 (e.g., the Netherlands). Many jurisdictions recommend that screening begin when a woman becomes sexually active, regardless of age. 

Amendments have been made to the Workers Compensation Act, changing coverage for mental disorders caused by work. The following changes apply to all decisions made on or after 1 July 2012.

Dr Stewart Burris