- © 2007 Canadian Medical Association
HPV approval: Nova Scotia will become the first province to implement vaccinations for the Human Papillomavirus (HPV). Commencing in the 2007–08 educational year, the province will provide 3 doses of the HPV vaccine over a 6-month period for all girls in grade 7. Meanwhile, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada has rolled out national guidelines on the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of HPV (www.hpvinfo.ca).
Birthing strategies: The federal government should invest $60 million over 5 years to create a national birthing strategy, including a distinct Aboriginal version, to help redress an ongoing Canadian slide in international comparisons of perinatal and maternal mortality rates, the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada urged at their 63rd annual clinical meeting (CMAJ 2007;177[3]:243). Among specifics that would be developed are national data collection mechanisms, clinical practice guidelines, standardized post-secondary education curriculum and some form of national oversight agency like a “Canadian Council for Maternity Care.”
Mandatory reporting: Alberta Health Minister Dave Hancock has introduced amendments to the province's Health Professions Act that will require all health practitioners and their regulatory bodies to notify their local medical officer of health of “the existence of a nuisance or a threat that is or may be injurious or dangerous to the public health.”
High-speed HIV tests: Ontario Health Minister George Smitherman will set aside $350 000 per year to make the province the first jurisdiction in North America to offer HIV tests that provide patients with results in 60 seconds, instead of 3 weeks. The new “point of care” HIV tests will be offered at sexually transmitted disease clinics and community health centers across the province as well as at 24 new anonymous testing sites in remote and rural communities like Kenora, Keewatin, Timmins, Leamington and Chatham. — Compiled by Wayne Kondro, CMAJ