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Health Canada approves drug for postpartum depression
For the first time in Canada a drug specifically designed to treat postpartum depression has been given the green light. Zuranolone, sold under the brand name Zurzuvae, comes in the form of a pill taken daily for two weeks.
“What is so exciting about Zuranolone is that it is specifically targeting this particular time period, this particular patient population and it’s also rapid acting,” said Dr. Crystal Clark from Women’s College Hospital in Toronto.
“It’s targeting a different mechanism, and people are sustaining remission of symptoms, at least as far as we know, up to 45 days, possibly much longer, after a very short treatment of two weeks. Which is something we have not had on the market before.”
Dr. Clark said about 20 per cent of mothers will struggle after giving birth.
The drug has been approved for use in the United Kingdom, European Union and has also been available in the United States since late 2023.
“I think that once we are able to get people feeling better, then they are able to be more functional at home,” said Dr. L. Joy Baker, a gynecologist based in rural Georgia, USA . “[Then they are] able to bond with their babies, able to enjoy being a mom.”
Read more about the approval and how the drug works.
U.S. facing a second measles surge this year
The United States is facing a second measles surge this year as a new outbreak begins to accumulate in South Carolina. State health officials said more than 250 people are in quarantine after possible exposure, and 16 are in isolation because of the illness.
The country saw 84 new cases in the past week, according to data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. That’s the highest number reported in a single week since April.
There have been 47 outbreaks reported in 2025, and 88 per cent of confirmed cases were outbreak-associated. It’s a big jump in comparison to the statistics from 2024, where the country saw 16 outbreaks reported throughout the year, with 69 per cent of cases being outbreak-associated.
The year has been particularly tough for managing measles, as public health officials across North America dealt with surges not seen in decades.
In November, Canada lost its measles elimination status.
The Pan American Health Organization made the ruling, as there was continuous transmission for more than 12 months. The U.S. is predicted to experience the same fate.
With the holidays just around the corner, doctors say there is a risk of new infections.
“That’s another time when people mix together and have a lovely time as families, but it’s also a time when we can also have more transmission increasing because if anybody is sick during that time, they can spread it,” said Dr. Natasha Crowcroft, Canada’s acting Chief Public Health Officer.
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Is donating blood on your December “To do” list?
Canadian Blood Services is hoping it will be
December might be one of the busiest months of the year.
It’s a lot – managing work, an increased number of family commitments, shopping, and checking your own lists twice. Plus, if you have children there’s a good chance that you are in the throes of seeking out holiday magic whenever and wherever possible.
Making a donation to Canadian Blood Services might not be a high priority, but community development manager Sharon Schaab is hoping you might reconsider.
“The last two weeks of December especially are a very difficult time for us to collect because people get really busy with activities and holidays and maybe just don’t make blood donation the priority at that point,” Schaab said.
“Right now, the hospitals have what they need, but we need donors coming in every day in order to sustain that a stable supply.”
Over the next five years, Canadian Blood Services predicts the need for blood will increase by about 10 per cent and the need for immunoglobulins is going to increase by about 50 per cent.
Nazir Jaffer is a regular at a donation centre in Toronto’s east end. He chooses to donate plasma, something people can do every week.
“The service which I’m doing is helping the sick people. And the sick people, they depend on us,” Jaffer said. “The whole procedure, it takes about one hour. So, one hour is just nothing, you know, for the sacrifice.”
This week Jaffer reached an incredible milestone – 500 donations. At the age of 67, he has built in “giving back” as part of his routine and rarely misses an appointment.
“It means everything. Nazir is such a familiar face in our clinic,” Schaab said. “He is here without fail every week and he really encourages other people and he’s built such a connection with our team and with all the other donors.”
A donation of this size is generally only possible through plasma donations. People can also choose to donate whole blood or platelets.
“By donating plasma because you can donate once a week. That means you can do 52 donations a year. If you’re doing whole blood, men can only donate every two months and women can donate every three months,” Schaab said.
Jaffer hopes everyone might consider a single donation to help those in need this season.
“After my donation I always approach everybody before I leave. I ask them how many donations you have made. And then they tell me the number. And then I tell them this is my donation so far. They tell me you have such a big number that we can’t even reach you. I said no. Don’t worry about reaching me.”
Now Jaffer has a new goal, reaching 1,000 donations and encouraging even more people along the way.
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