Health Matters: Canadian government adds $36M to vaccine compensation fund

I’m Catherine Ward with your top health headlines right now. The federal government is putting another $36 million toward a program to compensate people who were seriously injured or killed by vaccines. The new funding was announced as part of the federal budget tabled in the House of Commons last week. It’s meant to fund the program for the next two years. It was first launched at the end of 2020, shortly after COVID-19 vaccines first became available. As of December, 138 claims have been approved for compensation by a medical review board. Health Canada says the chance of someone having a serious adverse reaction to an approved vaccine is less than one in a million. Global immunization efforts have saved 154,000,000 lives over the last 50 years, a landmark study in The Lancet says. That’s the equivalent of 6 lives every minute of every year. Global vaccination drives have helped 101 million babies see their first birthdays and millions more lead healthy lives into adulthood. Measles vaccination accounts for 60% of the lives saved, with vaccination against thirteen other diseases taking up the other 40%. The US Supreme Court is considering a case from Idaho that will determine when doctors can provide abortions during medical emergencies. The decision will apply to states with bans enacted after the high court’s sweeping decision overturning Roe V Wade. The Biden administration argues that even in states where abortion is banned, federal health care law says hospitals must be allowed to terminate pregnancies in rare emergencies where a patient’s life or health is at serious risk. Idaho contends allowing abortion in more medical emergencies would turn hospitals into abortion enclaves. Canadians are being exposed to more hours of daylight this time of year and an uptick in misinformation about sunscreen online. Some influencers say getting a tan is better and safer than sun protection, which experts say is dangerous. Unprotected sun exposure comes with increased risk of skin cancer and premature aging. Experts say the allegations that sunscreen use causes vitamin D deficiency and that chemical sunscreens cause cancer are wrong and inflammatory. We know that the sun is the main cause of skin cancer in Canada. We’re very lucky because our sunscreens are well tested and so anything that tells Canada approved is safe to use. Now the other thing to know is that if for some reason sunscreen is not your favorite, some people don’t like it, There are other ways to protect yourself from the sun. Other methods of sun protection include wide brimmed hats, seeking shade and wearing SPF rated clothing. Those are the top health stories right now. For more, you can head to globalnews.ca. I’m Katherine Ward.