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West Nile Virus
If you are having any symptoms or have any questions, please call 811 to speak with a registered nurse 24 hours a day. OVERVIEW What is West Nile virus? West Nile virus is a virus that can infect humans, birds, horses and mosquitoes. Infection from this virus is most commonly found in Africa, West Asia…
What are Primary Healthcare Providers?
If you are having any symptoms or have any questions, please call 811 to speak with a registered nurse 24 hours a day. What are Primary Healthcare Providers? Primary healthcare providers focus on treating their clients as a whole. They may involve a team of people including family physicians, nurse practitioners, family practice nurses, social…
What it Takes to Lose Weight
If you are having any symptoms or have any questions, please call 811 to speak with a registered nurse 24 hours a day. What does it take to lose weight? To lose weight, you have to eat fewer calories than your body uses. Calories are the amount of energy in the food you eat. Some…
What You Can Do to Change Your Child’s Behavior
If you are having any symptoms or have any questions, please call 811 to speak with a registered nurse 24 hours a day. What is normal behavior for a child? Normal behavior in children depends on the child’s age, personality, and physical and emotional development. A child’s behavior may be a problem if it doesn’t…
What You Can Do to Maintain Your Health
If you are having any symptoms or have any questions, please call 811 to speak with a registered nurse 24 hours a day. Do my habits really affect my health? Yes, very much so. All of the major causes of death (such as cancer, heart disease, stroke, lung disease and injury) can be prevented in…
What You Should Know Before You Start A Weight Loss Plan
If you are having any symptoms or have any questions, please call 811 to speak with a registered nurse 24 hours a day. The measurements that count Know your Body Mass Index (BMI) Over the past twenty years, Canadians have become more familiar with specific measurements related to health, such as cholesterol levels and blood…
When Your Toddler Doesn’t Want to Eat
If you are having any symptoms or have any questions, please call 811 to speak with a registered nurse 24 hours a day. How much should my child eat? How much your child eats may be very different from how much another child eats. Don’t worry if it seems that your child doesn’t eat enough…
Whooping Cough (Pertussis)
If you are having any symptoms or have any questions, please call 811 to speak with a registered nurse 24 hours a day. What is whooping cough? Whooping cough, also called pertussis, is a respiratory tract infection. SYMPTOMS What are the symptoms of whooping cough? Whooping cough usually starts like a cold and then turns…
Why Should I Breastfeed?
If you are having any symptoms or have any questions, please call 811 to speak with a registered nurse 24 hours a day. Breast milk is the perfect food for your baby. Many health organizations—Health Canada and the World Health Organization (WHO)—recommend that mothers breastfeed their newborn babies. What are the advantages of breastfeeding? Health…
Wolff-Parkinson-White Syndrome
If you are having any symptoms or have any questions, please call 811 to speak with a registered nurse 24 hours a day. OVERVIEW What is Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome? Wolff-Parkinson-White (WPW) syndrome is a rare heart condition in which there is an extra electrical pathway present in the heart. This can cause a change in the…
Working Safely – Advice for Teens
If you are having any symptoms or have any questions, please call 811 to speak with a registered nurse 24 hours a day. Am I at risk of getting hurt at work? Yes, you may be. In 2016, 6 young workers between the ages of 15-19 died as a result of injuries at work. An…
Yeast Infections
If you are having any symptoms or have any questions, please call 811 to speak with a registered nurse 24 hours a day. OVERVIEW What is a vaginal yeast infection? Vaginal yeast infections are caused by a fungus called Candida albicans. Yeast are tiny organisms that normally live in small numbers on the skin and…
Young-Onset Alzheimer’s (Early-Onset Alzheimer’s)
If you are having any symptoms or have any questions, please call 811 to speak with a registered nurse 24 hours a day. Get emergency care if you or a loved one has serious thoughts of suicide or harming others. What is young-onset Alzheimer’s disease? Young-onset Alzheimer’s disease (sometimes called early-onset Alzheimer’s) is when Alzheimer’s…
Your Baby’s Development – The First Trimester
If you are having any symptoms or have any questions, please call 811 to speak with a registered nurse 24 hours a day. From the moment of conception to the time of delivery, your growing baby goes through several stages of development before he or she is ready to be born. Here’s what happens during…
Your Baby’s Development – The Second Trimester
If you are having any symptoms or have any questions, please call 811 to speak with a registered nurse 24 hours a day. When is the second trimester? The second trimester is week 13 through week 26 of your pregnancy. During this time, your baby continues to grow, develop and change almost daily. How big…