October

Study data presented at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s 2012 National Immunization Conference show that one-third of Walgreens vaccinations are administered during off-clinic hours, showing the importance of improving convenience in access to vaccines.

The BCMA Annual Report was distributed to members as an enclosure with the May issue of the BCMJ. This year’s annual report had a new look and format, and readers were surveyed to find out what they thought. While the number of survey respondents decreased this year and the number of members who read the report also decreased slightly, the percentage of respondents who read the entire report increased by 5% from the previous year. The overall opinion of the report’s format was positive.

When it comes to saving for retirement, Canadians often have a co-nundrum—invest in a registered re-tirement savings plan (RRSP), or consider a tax-free savings account (TFSA)? What makes the most sense? There’s no easy answer. The decision depends on many variables, including an investor’s personal financial situation. 

New recommendations from Prostate Cancer Canada encourage men to monitor themselves for their number one cancer risk, prostate cancer. A recent poll showed that while 87% of Canadian men over the age of 35 fear prostate cancer, less than half anticipate being tested in the next 12 months, even though early diagnosis can increase the odds of survival. 

The BC Centre for Disease Control has announced the expansion of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination program. The HPV vaccine Cervarix will now be offered at no cost to BC women 26 years of age and under, and born before 1994. The province’s catch-up HPV vaccination program originally covered only young women aged 19 to 21, born between 1991 and 1993.

The catch-up program seeks to pro-vide coverage for women who fall with-in the recommended age group for the vaccine, but who were too old to receive the school-based vaccine when HPV vaccinations first began in 2008.