Health Briefs

Captain overboard

In January 2012, Friday the 13th marked one of the most dramatic cruise ship accidents in recent history, as the Costa Concordia collided with uncharted rocks, leaving roughly 4,000 people scrambling for their lives as the ship began to sink just off the coast of Italy.

The ship's passengers were just receiving their first course in the dining room as tables flipped sideways and utensils scattered. Bearing wounds and bruises, most people were left crawling in the dark, no guidance to safety.

Other passengers took fate into their own hands and jumped ship into the Mediterranean Ocean, fleeing to the near-by island Giglio, which at the time was the only hope for survival.

The evacuation from the cruise ship was described by passengers as chaotic and terrifying, and only a few acts of honour or compassion were reported by the survivors.

The Captain of the ship, Francesco Schettino, charged for abandoning his ship, failed his responsibility as a Captain when he hopped on one of the first available life-boats, leaving his passengers to fight for their lives.

Currently, there are 15 reported deaths and 17 people remain unaccounted for. Captain Schettino has been placed under house arrest and is now facing  charges of man-slaughter and causing a shipwreck. A court date is still pending.

New perforated ear drum surgery

Dr. Issam Saliba of Montreal's Sainte-Justine hospital has recently developed a technique designed to repair a perforated eardrum, which will allow children to bypass hospitalization or general anaesthesia.

Saliba claims this 20-minute procedure only requires a local anaesthesia, conveys the same results as the current conventional surgery, and hopes to reduce long patient-waiting-lists.

Saliba reports that his methods are equally effective and yet, less costly than alternatives as the operation is performed in an out-patient clinic. The act is also said to work well for both children and adults, and promises a faster recovery rate.

10-year-old Benjamin Cote, a young boy who had the perforated eardrum surgery in 2011, is now able to enjoy the sounds of everyday life.

His mother, Melanie Fortier, reported to The Canadian Press that she was more than relieved to have her son's hearing ability restored in as little as 12-months.

Thanks to Saliba and his team of experts, individuals suffering from a perforated eardrum now have an faster solution to the problem.

Ontario spending to help smokers kick the habit

This year, Ontario seems to be sporting their own New Year's resolution in the battle to quit smoking by providing roughly $4.5 million dollars to assist nearly 23,000 smokers residing in addiction-treatment programs over the next three years.

Smokers undergoing treatment for their addiction will be offered a five-week program that combines the use of nicotine gum and anti-smoking patches with regular counselling sessions, all which are being directly funded by the province.

Here in Ontario, of the 60,000 addicts who are currently seeking treatment, 38 per cent are smokers. But, these tobacco habits extend far beyond boarders of treatment facilities. In fact, approximately 13,000 individuals die from tobacco products annually.

Addiction expert Dr. Peter Selby recognizes the intensity of such addictions as he notes that smoking is often the first drug many become addicted to.

During an interview with CBC News, Health Minister Deb Matthews announced that research provided evidence that the combining of over-the-counter anti-smoking aids with counselling support is an effective merger to help people quit smoking.

She concluded that this new drive to help people butt out will ideally strengthen Ontario's health-care system through actions taken to prevent future smoking-related diseases.

- Katie Smith