Health Canada RSS Feeds

What is RSS?

RSS or Really Simple Syndication is a useful tool for keeping updated on your favorite Web sites. Updates to the site are broadcast to subscribers through an RSS feed. Sign up for an RSS feed and a message will appear in your feed reader every time new information is added to that section of the Health Canada Web site. When an update is sent out, it includes a headline and a small amount of text, either a summary or the lead-in to the larger story.

RSS feeds have addresses like a Web site, but you can't read them directly with your browser. They have a different format than Web pages, so you'll view garbled text if you try. In order to receive RSS feeds, you must have an aggregator, otherwise called a feed reader. There are a number of free aggregators online, and with a little searching you will be able to find an interface that appeals to you. In addition to availability on your computer, RSS feeds can also be read on PDAs and cell phones.

When you find a Web site you would like to add to your aggregator, you can do so in one of two ways. Most sites that offer an RSS feed have an RSS or XML button on their homepage that you can click on and instantly add that feed to your aggregator. Depending on your aggregator, you may instead need to copy and paste the URL of the feed into the program.

By either method, the feed will be available as soon as you’ve added it, and your next update could arrive at any given moment. If you decide that you no longer want to receive updates, simply delete the feed or URL from your aggregator.

Why RSS?

Notifications about Health Canada news releases, advisories, warnings and recalls are also available via an email list. So why use RSS? Some people prefer to subscribe to Web updates via RSS and view them in a feed reader, so that their email box doesn’t fill up with mailing list messages. A feed reader allows you to subscribe to news, blogs and other frequently updated content, and view it at your convenience, separate from your inbox.

For more on RSS, including links to various feed readers, visit the
Government of Canada’s main RSS page.

Technical problems? Feedback?

Health Canada is offering these feeds on a trial basis. Please let us know if you encounter any technical problems, have a suggestion, or just want to tell us that you find the feeds useful.