TORONTO
(CP) - HIV-infected babies in Ontario are being put at risk
because the provincial government will not pay to vaccinate
them against pneumonia, meningitis and chicken pox, AIDS
activists said Thursday.
"The total cost of providing these vaccines to every
child living with HIV in this province is less than $100,000
and yet the government fails to act," said John Goodhew, a
Toronto doctor whose practice includes hundreds of
HIV-positive patients.
Goodhew and members of the Canadian Treatment Action
Council, a national group that promotes awareness about HIV
and AIDS, say the province is also restricting access to
other badly needed medications.
The group says there are currently about 110 HIV-infected
babies in Ontario and that they could be vaccinated at a
cost of about $800 each.
Babies infected with HIV are particularly vulnerable to
pneumonia, meningitis and chicken pox, Goodhew said.
Compounding matters is the heavy financial burden many
families dealing with HIV and AIDS are already confronting,
the group said.
"It's already an incredible challenge that an HIV
positive parent faces living with that disease, and then the
challenge added by having an HIV-positive infant," said Kim
Johnson, who works with a support group called Voices of
Positive Women.
"It breaks my heart to see a child at risk for chicken
pox, meningitis and pneumonia. I know that a reliable
vaccine exists, but HIV children can't have it because the
government will not pay for it."
Liberal member George Smitherman, who raised the issue in
the legislature in December, said he planned to discuss it
with Health Minister Tony Clement in the immediate future.
"I'm watching his public schedule in Toronto and at the
very next opportunity . . . I'm going to confront him in a
very, very direct fashion," said Smitherman.
"It's unconscionable in Ontario that for the expenditure
of $100,000 these vaccines would not be made available
immediately."
Health Minister Tony Clement was not available for
comment Thursday, but a spokesman said ministry officials
are studying the possibility of paying for the vaccinations.
"It's something that we're looking into and we'll act on
it as soon as possible," said Paul Cantin. "We will do what
we can."
Clement's next scheduled public appearance is Friday
afternoon.
