Health Matters with Dra. Denise

submitted to FJ March 5, 2019 Recently, I was asked about the risks of used needles found in the community so thought I’d talk about this in today’s column.   Whether you’ve come across used needles or not, they are present in Manitoba, and their occurrence has increased related to the increases in crystal meth and opioid injection drug use.   Generally used needles people come across in our community come from injection drug use outdoors, possibly related to unstable housing among those who use drugs. While the perceived risk of finding a used needle is quite high, the actual health risk to the general public (including kids) of finding one is actually pretty low.    The main theoretical risks from finding/getting poked by used needles are the blood-borne infections: hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV.     There have certainly been increases in these infections in Manitoba related to shared injection drug use equipment.   There are also increases seen in other illnesses, such as

Published in the Filipino Journal, February 05 – 20, 2019 Number 03 Happy February!   Cold enough for you??   Many pinoys remember their first winter in Manitoba—maybe the time they got their first parka, mitts, toque, and pair of deep winter boots.   “Talaga bang lumalamig ng ganyang kalamig sa Manitoba?   Opo, ang lamig! While usually the cold can be an annoying inconvenience, it can also lead to more serious frostnip, frostbite or hypothermia .  Frostnip is a mild form of frostbite, where only the skin freezes. Skin may appear yellowish or white, but feels soft to the touch. You may feel tingling or burning in the affected area.   With frostbite both the skin and body tissue freeze, and there is permanent damage to the affected area. You may get a loss of feeling in the affected body part and get white, gray or blistered fingers, toes, ear lobes or nose tip. Hypothermia occurs when your body loses heat faster than it can produce it, causing a dangerously