Vaccine

Thursday November 14, 2019

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday November 14, 2019

Help yourself and the health system — get a flu shot

If you have had the experience of going to a hospital in southern Ontario recently, especially if you entered through the emergency ward, there is a good chance you experienced first-hand what it’s like when hospitals are stretched to the limit.

ERs are jammed. Corridors can be lined with beds occupied by people waiting for a bed. Harried staff do the best they can, and they nearly always do a good job, but they, too, are stretched to the limit.

You may have waited hours in the ER, you may have received hallway health care. You have or are experiencing what it’s like in one of many Ontario hospitals that are operating at more than 100 per cent capacity.

Now try to imagine what it could be like when thousands of Ontarians, stricken by the flu, flock to ERs for treatment. Try to imagine the incremental strain on staff and facilities. Imagine the impact on already overburdened ambulance and paramedic care.

April 11, 2019

This isn’t fear mongering. It’s a real threat. Australia is often seen as a canary in a coal mine for flu season. Their season arrives earlier than ours does. When it’s bad there, it is often as bad here. This season, flu hit Australia early and hard. If it happens here, the president of the Ontario Hospital Association warns: “The system is quite fragile at the moment.”

Average citizens cannot fix what’s wrong with Ontario hospitals. But what if there was something you could do to reduce — by as much as half — your chances of ending up in a jammed ER or hospital corridor?

There is, and it’s not hard. It won’t cost you any money. It’s free. All you have to do is go to a pharmacy, your doctor’s office, a public clinic or another location that administers flu shots. Simply by doing that, you will be reducing by 50 per cent the chance of catching the flu. Add in good hygiene — following proper handwashing guidelines, for example — and you can reduce your chances even more.

Given all this, and the unpleasant alternatives, you might think the majority of sensible Canadians would get vaccinated against the flu. You’d be wrong. Experts say only about one-third of Canadians get flu shots. If you’re among the two-thirds who don’t, you’re part of the problem.

October 29, 2009

Why don’t more people get flu shots? In part, it’s the fictitious scare tactics of the anti-vaxxer movement. In part, it’s that the vaccine can sometimes cause you to feel ill, although not nearly as ill as if you got the real thing. But yes, sometimes side effects like fever and chills do happen as your body begins to make antibodies to ward off the bug. Some say no because they think they can actually catch the flu from the vaccination. You can’t. The vaccine has no live flu virus component — you cannot get the flu from the flu vaccine.

Public health officials say this year’s vaccine is deemed to be about 50 per cent effective. It’s not perfect, but is better than other recent years. And more importantly, it’s the best chance you have of avoiding the flu virus. It makes no sense — absolutely none — to say no to a flu shot. It’s actually irresponsible given the critical situation in public health. Be part of the solution, not the problem. (Hamilton Spectator Editorial) 

 

Thursday April 11, 2019

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday April 11, 2019

Ontario must take steps to hit vaccination targets and debunk measles myths

We’re losing the fight against measles. In this day and age, that’s an amazing statement. Three years ago we talked about them being almost eradicated. Now we’re losing the battle.

April 11, 2019

This week Ottawa reported measles cases. There have been outbreaks in British Columbia, in several U.S. states and in Europe. In New York City, a health emergency has been declared. 

And the worst part is that we know exactly why. A relatively small group of so-called anti-vaxxers is making effective use of — what else — social media to spread misinformation, which is leading to more and more parents not getting their kids vaccinated, and to more adults choosing not to be revaccinated.

A recent report from the Toronto Star shows that nearly 30 per cent of seven-year-old students in the Greater Toronto Area aren’t getting their shots. A vaccination rate of 90 to 95 per cent is needed to afford herd immunity, which is required to prevent outbreaks. Ontario is very far from that target. 

December 22, 2016

Actions are being taken. The Ontario Medical Association has launched a public awareness campaign, using traditional and non-traditional media, specifically taking at aim of some of the most common myths about vaccines. 

Myths that suggest measles and similar diseases aren’t really that dangerous. The fact is that complications happen in about 10 per cent of cases. For every 1,000 cases, one or two victims will die. Then there’s the widely-debunked claim that the measles vaccine causes autism. It doesn’t. There is no scientific evidence to support that claim. Large studies around the world have shown there is no link, and yet the life-threatening myth survives.

April 29, 2016

Or this: The idea that nosodes are a substitute for vaccination. Nosodes, also called homeopathic vaccines, are not a substitute for real vaccines. There is no scientific evidence to show they prevent infectious diseases. Nosodes are made from bacteria, viruses, tissue or other material from someone with a particular disease. They are so diluted there are no active ingredients left by the time they are administered.

Or this one: Breastfeeding protects babies from infection. While it offers some protection against certain types of infections, the protection is incomplete. Breastfeeding is not a substitute for vaccination.

February 6, 2015

And finally, this: We shouldn’t put foreign substances like vaccines into our bodies. It’s hard to believe anyone would fall for this, but they do. The germs that cause communicable diseases like measles are natural, but that doesn’t make them good. Plants and berries are natural things, but they yield some of the most poisonous substances. Vaccines, on the other hand, are made from natural sources, some from safely-altered germs. They stimulate our immune system in the same way the disease would, but without making us sick.

At this point, all the good work being done to educate the public isn’t stopping the new spread of measles. It may be time for tougher medicine.

April 30, 2009

There are two legal exemptions for not vaccinating kids. One is a medical exemption, which obviously must remain available. Another is non-medical exemptions, where parents must sign an affidavit saying vaccines conflict with their “sincerely held convictions.”

U.S. states like California, Mississippi and West Virginia have ended non-medical exemptions. And their vaccination rates have dramatically increased. Perhaps it’s time Ontario and other Canadian provinces did the same thing. (Source: Hamilton Spectator Editorial) 

Measles, disease, virus, vaccination, herd, immunization, vaccine, military

Thursday December 22, 2016

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator - Thursday December 22, 2016 Conscientious objection to vaccines has doubled in 20 years The number of parents opting out of measles vaccines for their kids because of conscientious or religious beliefs has doubled in 20 years, leaving Ontario's public health system struggling to stop a trend of "increasing concern." "It's a massive challenge because the numbers are going up," said Paul Bramadat, an editor and writer of a book coming out in 2017 on vaccine hesitancy in Canada. "There has always been this kind of faith that if I just give you the right study or if I just give you the right pamphlet, you'llÊsee the jury is in and the case is closed and vaccines are actually safe and effective and the best way for us to prevent really terrible pandemics É It turns out all those anxieties can be addressed by science, but even when they are addressed that is not sufficient.ÓÊ Facts and evidence are battling a formidable foe, a "hip and cool" campaign that uses social media to spread its message, taps into a desire to live more naturally and takes advantage of a growing distrust of science and public institutions. "The anti-vaccine movement is very sophisticated," said Ellen Amster, chair in the history of medicine at McMaster University who studies vaccine hesitancy. "It's definitely a movement. There are people who are co-ordinated, who raise money, who buy billboards and publish children'sÊbooks. They are very smart. They have celebrities. They have all these strategies to make it approachable, understandable and to make you feel you're being empowered with this information." Public health has had to turn its messaging on its head to combat hesitancy.Ê "Immunization is now a topic we all discuss," said Dr. Julie Emili, a Hamilton associate medical officer of health. "I'd say 10 years ago we didn't do many interviews about immunizations. It was assumed people just get their shots. There wasn't this whole

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday December 22, 2016

Conscientious objection to vaccines has doubled in 20 years

The number of parents opting out of measles vaccines for their kids because of conscientious or religious beliefs has doubled in 20 years, leaving Ontario’s public health system struggling to stop a trend of “increasing concern.”

February 6, 2015

February 6, 2015

“It’s a massive challenge because the numbers are going up,” said Paul Bramadat, an editor and writer of a book coming out in 2017 on vaccine hesitancy in Canada. “There has always been this kind of faith that if I just give you the right study or if I just give you the right pamphlet, you’ll see the jury is in and the case is closed and vaccines are actually safe and effective and the best way for us to prevent really terrible pandemics … It turns out all those anxieties can be addressed by science, but even when they are addressed that is not sufficient.”

Friday, December 6, 2013

December 6, 2013

Facts and evidence are battling a formidable foe, a “hip and cool” campaign that uses social media to spread its message, taps into a desire to live more naturally and takes advantage of a growing distrust of science and public institutions.

“The anti-vaccine movement is very sophisticated,” said Ellen Amster, chair in the history of medicine at McMaster University who studies vaccine hesitancy. “It’s definitely a movement. There are people who are co-ordinated, who raise money, who buy billboards and publish children’s books. They are very smart. They have celebrities. They have all these strategies to make it approachable, understandable and to make you feel you’re being empowered with this information.”

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator Ð Friday April 29, 2016 Naturopath who treated boy who died of meningitis should be held accountable, physicians say The naturopath who treated Ezekiel Stephan, an Alberta boy who died of bacterial meningitis in 2012, Òdid not meet the standard of careÓ and should be held accountable for her actions, according to a critical letter sent to the College of Naturopathic Doctors of Alberta by nearly four dozen physicians across Canada. The situation raises broader questions about the growing trend toward the regulation of naturopaths in Canada and whether the colleges are doing proper oversight, said Michelle Cohen, a family physician in Brighton, Ont., who wrote the letter. The college has opened an investigation based on the letter and did not respond to an interview request. David and Collet Stephan were found guilty in a Lethbridge court on Tuesday of failing to provide the necessaries of life for their son Ezekiel, who was 19 months old. The Stephans went to a naturopath, Tracey Tannis, because they suspected that the boy had meningitis. The naturopath testified that she did not physically examine Ezekiel and that she had advised the Stephans to take him to a hospital. But she gave Ms. Stephan an echinacea treatment for the child. Others testified that Dr. Tannis discussed EzekielÕs case with his mother. Naturopaths are governed by a self-regulatory college in Alberta, in a manner similar to doctors and nurses. Dr. Tannis is still listed as a member in good standing of the College of Naturopathic Doctors of Alberta and there are no notes attached to her registration to suggest that there have been any concerns about her actions. The physiciansÕ letter criticizes the naturopath for recommending a treatment for a sick child without having examined him and for failing to provide vital information about the grave risks of meningitis and the urgent need for a lumbar puncture and treatment to prevent death

April 29, 2016

Public health has had to turn its messaging on its head to combat hesitancy.

“Immunization is now a topic we all discuss,” said Dr. Julie Emili, a Hamilton associate medical officer of health. “I’d say 10 years ago we didn’t do many interviews about immunizations. It was assumed people just get their shots. There wasn’t this whole discussion about, ‘Should I get my shots or shouldn’t I?’” (Continued: Hamilton Spectator)

Thursday October 29, 2009

Editorial Cartoon by Graeme MacKay, The Hamilton Spectator – Thursday October 29, 2009

Health officials scramble to counter H1N1 myths

Does the H1N1 vaccine give you the flu? Will it cause autism or Gulf War syndrome? Is it a cover for a sinister government plan to kill people? Is a plot by big pharma to sell drugs, make money and rule the world?

The conspiracy theories around medicine and science range from ridiculous to downright scary. And as the second wave of the H1N1 pandemic influenza virus entrenches itself in Canada and vaccination clinics swing their doors open next week, public health officials are rushing to debunk the myths about a virus that has sickened hundreds of thousands and a drug that will protect others from getting unnecessarily ill.

Canada’s chief public health officer, David Butler-Jones, came out swinging Friday against the claims of those opposed to the vaccine. The federal regulator approved the drug this week, saying it is safe and effective. Canadians have a choice: Immunize themselves or face a real risk of disease, Dr. Butler-Jones said.

“We risk losing ground if we start doubting … or taking the myths as fact,” he said. “Immunization is the only thing which will stop the pandemic and prevent however many people from needlessly becoming ill.”

Canada, which has ordered 50 million doses of the swine-flu vaccine from GlaxoSmithKline, embarks on its largest ever immunization campaign next week. But on websites and in online comments, some have raised questions about the vaccine. The hope among public health officials is that common sense will prevail.

They stressed that the vaccine doesn’t contain a live virus so you cannot contract influenza from it. (Source: Globe & Mail) 

Letters: 

Todays cartoon seems to portray the Spectator as thinking that Vaccinating against H1N1 is comparable to putting tin foil hats on.  Well if the Paper we trust thinks its just as likely that Aliens are beaming things into our heads as getting H1N1 you,ve convinced me NOT to get the shot . Thanks I was on the fence but youre right.

M.Doyle — Hamilton

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Graeme MacKay should be congratulated on this brilliant cartoon.
I suspect those who shun the vital H1N1 flu shot are the same people who believe in the Yeti, flying saucers and the continued existence of Elvis.

H. Painter — Hamilton