OTTAWA, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – March 10, 2011) - Health Canada would like to remind Canadians of the importance of food safety while home canning and home bottling seafood such as fish and shellfish.

Home canning and bottling of fish and other seafood is a popular activity for many Canadians. However, improper preparation, canning or storage of these foods can cause serious illness, such as botulism.

If you are home canning or bottling your own seafoods (including clams, lobster and whelks), the following steps will help to reduce the risks of botulism:

• Use a pressure canner and strictly follow the manufacturer’s instructions for canning or bottling low-acid foods, such as fish and shellfish.

• Clean and sanitize your hands, all work surfaces, utensils, and equipment and keep them clean during all stages of the canning process.

• Follow the recipe exactly. Don’t substitute ingredients, amounts or change the jar size that the recipe calls for because this can cause the time or pressure needed during pressure canning to change, leading to bacteria remaining in the food. Use the canned or bottled food within one year.

• Once the container has been opened, refrigerate leftovers immediately. 

Never eat canned foods if you suspect it has been tampered with, if the seal has been broken, the lid is popped, or if the container is swollen or leaking. if in doubt, throw it out!

Botulism is a serious illness that can result from eating improperly prepared canned or bottled foods. Botulism is caused by bacteria that naturally produce toxins as part of their normal life cycle. The toxin that causes botulism is colourless, odourless, tasteless and invisible to the naked eye and isn’t necessarily destroyed by cooking, so preventing the toxin from forming is essential.

Symptoms of botulism range from nausea, vomiting, fatigue, dizziness, headache, double vision, dryness in the throat and nose to respiratory failure, paralysis and, in some cases, death. The onset of symptoms is generally from 12 to 36 hours after ingesting the toxin. The duration of illness may be two hours to 14 days, although some symptoms may last longer.

It’s estimated that there are approximately 11 million cases of food-related illnesses in Canada every year. Many of these illnesses could be prevented by following proper food handling and preparation techniques.

For more information on food safety tips for home canning and bottling of fish and other seafood, please visit:

Government of Canada’s Home Canning and Bottling of Fish and other Shellfish Safety Factsheet (hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/kitchen-cuisine/fish-canning-conserve-poisson-eng.php)

Government of Canada’s Home Canning and Botulism Factsheet ( hc-sc.gc.ca/fn-an/securit/kitchen-cuisine/food-canning-conserve-aliment-eng.php )

Partnership for Consumer Food Safety Education’s Be Food Safe Canada Campaign ( befoodsafe.ca )

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To help reduce the feeling of isolation experienced by those with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of Canada has launched an iPhone and Android application, Can’t Wait, designed to help people find the public bathroom closest to them in a hurry.

According to a written statement, more than 200,000 Canadians live with IBD. there is no cure, no known cause, and little public understanding of the pain, chronic suffering and isolation experienced by those diagnosed. A recent survey of Canadians living with IBD by the foundation found that most sufferers stay home when their disease is active because of the lack of public bathroom access. Symptoms include abdominal pain, cramping, fatigue and diarrhea.

The Can’t Wait application uses GPS to track the user’s location and point to the closest bathroom; and it allows users to add bathrooms to share with the Can’t Wait community. It’s available as a free download through iTunes, by searching for Can’t Wait.

A web-based version of Can’t Wait is also available at cantwait.ca, which allows users to search for a specific location in Canada and find public bathrooms either en route or close by. Users can also link to both versions through ccfc.ca.

© Copyright (c) North Shore News

OTTAWA — Canadians with asthma and other chronic lung diseases could see their symptoms worsen if they pick up the swine flu and should get their conditions under control before the expected second wave of the pandemic hits.

According to the Lung Association, people with asthma, bronchitis and emphysema are more likely to experience severe symptoms of the swine flu, also known as the H1N1 virus, and to need hospitalization.

In a conference call hosted Tuesday by the Lung Association, Dr. Darcy Marciniuk, head of the division of respirology at Royal University Hospital in Saskatoon, said now is the time for all Canadians, but especially those with a lung disease, to prepare.

"the symptoms may differ and the severity may be different in people with underlying lung disease but moreover, it may also serve as a precipitant to exacerbate or worsen their underlying lung disease," he said.

Marciniuk explained the advice being offered by the Lung Association on its website, which includes telling people with asthma (about three million Canadians have asthma) and other lung diseases to get their symptoms under control so that their lungs are in good condition and able to fight off the flu.

The association recommends people get an "action plan" from their doctor so they know what to do if their condition worsens, and it has templates for a plan on its website.

The group also emphasized the importance of people taking their medications to prevent and control their symptoms and of having an extra supply of medicine on hand.

"A key message will be the vaccination when it becomes available, to get in line early, not only for any specific H1N1 vaccination that will become available, but also for the regular flu seasonal vaccination as it becomes available this fall," said Marciniuk.

The regular seasonal flu vaccine will be available in early fall, as usual. the new swine flu vaccine is currently being produced and won’t be ready until November. Canada has ordered 50.4 million doses of the new vaccine and is awaiting the results of clinical trials to determine if one or two shots will be needed to provide immunity.

Dr. Ken Scott, from the pandemic preparedness division at the Public Health Agency of Canada, said during the call that officials suspect two doses will be needed, probably 21 days apart.

Concerns have been raised about the scheduled delivery of the vaccine and whether it will come too late, especially if the second wave of the swine flu hits early in the fall instead of December when the flu season normally begins. Public health officials have said that if an early arrival is the case, antivirals and other measures will be used to "buy time" until the vaccine is ready. Scott said officials want to make sure the vaccine is safe and effective. By rolling it out in November, Canada has the benefit of viewing months worth of safety data from the clinical trials that are currently underway around the globe, said Scott.

"We don’t know what the attack rate will be this fall. so far this influenza has been a relatively mild illness. We’ll keep our fingers crossed and hopefully that’s the way its going to stay. But we are planning for the worst and I think that’s the appropriate thing to do," he said.

People who do contract the swine flu, or other influenza viruses, can be treated with antiviral medication if necessary. Tamiflu and Relenza are the two main drugs that are approved in Canada and so far, have been effective against the swine flu. there have been reports of complications with Relenza, however, in people with lung diseases.

Marciniuk said it’s not clear if the complications are only in people whose asthma is not well-controlled but it’s yet another reason why people with the condition should ensure they are in good shape.

© Copyright (c) Postmedia News

With the Dominican Republic reporting its first cholera death this January, and 235 cases reported in the country since the outbreak of this potentially fatal disease in neighbouring Haiti, Canadians planning winter trips to the D.R. need to be prepared. Cholera kills—quickly. Don’t change your plans: but be careful.

Just this January, more than 20 Venezuelan tourists to D.R. resorts contracted cholera and were put into quarantine in Caracas after showing symptoms of this disease which to date has killed almost 4000 people in Haiti. Since the cholera outbreak in Haiti last fall, D.R. authorities have put up strict border controls to prevent spread of this disease into their country, but with thousands of Haitian fleeing the unrest in their own country weekly, the threat is only expected to grow.

According to the U.S. CDC, visitors to the D.R. should drink only safe bottled water and boil or treat water used for food preparation or brushing teeth (emphasis on safe). And remember that ice cubes in those exotics drinks are usually made with tap water, and freezing does not kill the bacteria that might kill you. If you’re going to drink that great rum, drink it neat, or top it up with liquids that come out of a bottle. also, you must wash your hands with soap often and well. And if you have a kitchenette and you’re doing your own cooking, be especially careful to keep your food covered and hot, and cook it well—especially seafood,  and eat only fruits and vegetables you can peel. Most resorts are taking measures to upgrade hygiene and food and drink preparation, but you can’t leave responsibility for your health and safety to somebody else.

Cholera is an acute, diarrheal illness caused by infection of the intestine. An estimated 3-5 million cases and over 100,000 deaths occur each year around the world. The infection is often mild or without symptoms, but can sometimes be severe. Approximately five percent of infected persons will have severe disease characterized by profuse watery diarrhea, vomiting, and leg cramps. In these people, rapid loss of body fluids leads to dehydration and shock. If you start having any of these symptoms, get professional help immediately, from health professionals, not hotel clerks or bartenders.

Without treatment, death can occur within hours, so if you have any of these symptoms get to an approved clinic or hospital fast. This is where travel insurance becomes essential, because your emergency assistance service can direct you to the nearest, most appropriate clinic or hospital and get you into treatment fast.  normally, with appropriate re-hydration and antibiotics, you should recover quickly. but without it, you could die in a matter of just a few hours.

All travel insurers advertising on this site meet TravelinsuranceFile’s acceptability criteria for out-of-country emergency health care benefits for Canadian residents, and all provide emergency assistance services within the Dominican Republic. you can buy online or get more information on each plan by going to the homepage top blue line “Click Here for Snowbird Insurance Plans” or click on the logos of insurers down the side of the homepage.