If you’re reading this, book your HPV vaccine at myvaccines.ca!

It is reasonable to say that COVID-19 vaccines are of utmost priority given the current situation. With that being said, it is crucial to remember that there are serious healthcare issues that have and continue to exist alongside the pandemic. 

What is HPV?

The Human Papillomavirus (HPV) is the most common sexually transmitted infection (CDC, 2021). It can also be passed down from a mother to her offspring during childbirth. There are many types of HPV that lead to a variety of health issues including certain cancers. Getting an HPV vaccine however, can help protect against these outcomes (CDC, 2021).

What does HPV have to do with Cervical Cancer?

According to Dr. Raymond Mansoor, Chair of Obstetrics and Gynecology at the Sir Lester Bird Mount St John’s Medical Centre, HPV is the “direct cause of 99.7 percent of all cervical cancer cases and so there is definitely some argument or discussion that can be had as to the benefits of vaccination against cervical cancer” (Williams, 2021). 

Cervical cancer is also the second most common form of cancer in females, following breast cancer (Williams, 2021). Because all females are at risk for contracting HPV, it is imperative to receive the HPV vaccine to protect against cervical cancer.

Herd Immunity and Cervical Cancer

While “herd immunity” is a term that is often used to help describe how a community can combat COVID-19, Dr. Mansoor claims that it can and should be applied to the prevalence of cervical cancer (Williams, 2021). In Australia, current epidemiological research has demonstrated a 50 percent reduction in reported cervical cancers per year, which is an indication that the HPV vaccines are a highly effective preventative measure against cervical cancer (Williams, 2021). 

If you have yet to get your HPV vaccine, easily book an appointment using myvaccines.ca!

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2021, January 19). STD Facts – Human papillomavirus (HPV). Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/stdfact-hpv.htm.

Williams, O. (2021, June 23). ‘Herd immunity via HPV vaccinations will reduce cervical cancer cases’ – Dr Mansoor. Antigua Observer Newspaper. https://antiguaobserver.com/herd-immunity-via-hpv-vaccinations-will-reduce-cervical-cancer-cases-dr-mansoor/.

About the Author

Bairavie Piravakaran (she/her) is a second-year undergraduate at the University of Toronto Scarborough. As a Psychological & Health Sciences student, she values the importance of sharing credible information and making health resources more accessible to the public. Her interests in population health, research, and design are also reflected in her non-academic pursuits—she currently with the Young Leaders of Public Health and Medicine (YLPHM) as a Social Media Manager for the Scarborough Chapter and is a Health Promotion & Analytics Member at Critical Health Innovations Lab (CHIL). At EMPOWER Health, Bairavie works closely with the Marketing Team in order to plan and execute strategies that help inform the public about current health-related topics.

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#HealthKick2015 – We are ready!

It has been 10 weeks since we were announced as finalists at this year’s MaRS HealthKick 2015 Showcase.

Since then, our co-founder and president, Ryan Doherty, has been hard at work with our team and advisors to create the perfect pitch. The showcase is tomorrow, and we’re more ready than ever!

What should you expect?

We are a young, up-and-coming startup that is ready to take on the challenge of helping patients navigate the healthcare system. Ryan’s vision to connect patients with appropriate care drives the team to improve our platform and find new ways to help Canadians to maneuver across the confusing healthcare landscape.  Recently, we’ve even started exploring features that will improve the delivery of healthcare – from our virtual waiting room to same-day/same-week advanced access.

At HealthKick, we are seeking angel round investments. If successful, the investments and opportunities will help us grow and spread the platform across different disciplines, and across Canada.

We are looking forward to see you at HealthKicks 2015. Good luck to our fellow finalists!

The iamsick.ca Spring Roadshow

We have left winter and planted our feet firmly into spring. With the new season comes a new round of conferences and industry events. This year, iamsick.ca will be going to six from the end of April to the beginning of June. Are you going to any?

April 27 – 28, 2015: OCE Discovery 2015

iamsick.ca will be joining 2600 of the best and brightest at Ontario Centres for Excellence’s Discovery conference next week. OCE Discovery is “Canada’s leading innovation-to-commercialization conference.” Hundreds of exhibitors will be present to showcase the latest and greatest in innovation, research and technology. Word has it that a Youtube co-founder will be there!

OCE Discovery will be held at the Metro Convention Centre in downtown Toronto.

April 30, 2015: AppsForHealth 2015

Focusing on digital health, AppsForHealth is where attendees and network with leaders in the industry. Many students and professionals attend this event. This year’s two keynotes will be looking at privacy and the future of wearables.

AppsForHealth will be held at Mohawk College in Hamilton.

May 1 – 2, 2015: UTIHI QuIPS Conference 2015 

QuIPS is organized by the University of Toronto Chapter of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement Open School. The focus of this conference is to look at quality improvement and patient safety. This year’s theme is Efficiency. We look forward to chatting about how iamsick.ca can help improve healthcare process and efficiency and patient satisfaction.

QuIPS will be held at the Li Ka Shing Institute at St. Michael’s Hospital, in downtown Toronto.

May 6 – 9, 2015: PRI-MED Primary Care Today 2015

An annual event, PRI-MED Primary Care Today is the largest Canadian CME/CE focusing on primary care. The conference includes series of workshops, keynotes and an exhibition floor. Thousands of family/general practitioners, pharmacists and nurse practitioners will be present.

PRI-MD Primary Care Today will be held in Mississauga.

May 7, 2015: HealthKick 2015

You may have heard already that we are a finalist at this year’s HealthKick event. The invitation-only event is where we will pitch our company to investors and other industry leaders for a chance to win this year’s pitch competition. We’ve been working hard at preparing for this!

HealthKick will be held at MaRS, in the Discovery District.

May 31 – June 2: e-Health Conference 2015

Last but definitely not least, we will be at the e-Health Conference at the end of May. The conference will showcase the latest in e-health, and is the premiere e-health event in Canada. We will be at a booth by the hackathon.

e-Health Conference will be held at the Metro Convention Centre in downtown Toronto.

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Are you going to any of these events? Let us down below! We hope to see you there.

Presenting New Features at Primary Care Day

iamsick.ca will be at the second Annual Primary Care Day this Friday, March 27, 2015. The event is presented by the Mississauga Halton LHIN and MIssissauga Halton Primary Care Network. Primary care providers will have an opportunity to chat with our co-founder, Ryan, and the rest of our team about our platform.

In late 2014, we started working together with Mississauga Halton LHIN to bring patients better access to timely and appropriate care. A core element of our platform is helping patients see relevant information. We believe that will help them find the right care at the right now. We have been working hard with MH LHIN prepare features that will help patients and health care providers in the Mississauga-Halton region.

On Friday, primary care providers will have the opportunity to explore our platform. Here’s a sneak peak of three features we have built for this project:

1. Provider Accounts

Health care providers will be able to use iamsick.ca to update any facility information, including holiday hours, after hours, and any contact information that is included in our system. This feature was designed with flexibility and convenience in mind. It is important to us that health care providers can easily update their patients with the most up-to-date and accurate information.

2. Holiday Hours

Each healthcare facility’s holiday hours will be prominently displayed. We understand there are challenges around holiday surges. These challenges can burden hospital emergency departments, while patients risk not receiving appropriate and timely care. With this feature, we hope to address these challenges. Patients will be able to view holiday hours and visit the appropriate care provider for their medical needs over holidays.

3. After Hours Information 

Similar to our Holiday Hours feature, we are also displaying after hours recommendations for primary care clinics. We know that each care provider wants to make sure that patients are receiving the best care. This means providing patients with the right after hours information, in the event they may require medical attention outside of regular business hours.

We look forward to presenting our new features on Friday at the Primary Care Day conference. Attendees will be able to try out these new features, provide feedback, and learn about how to use iamsick.ca to enhance their practice.