"Doctor Slams Absence of National Vaccine Policy"

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March 5, 2003

 

INTERNATIONAL IMMUNIZATION NEWS

 

"Doctor Slams Absence of National Vaccine Policy"

Edmonton Journal (www.edmontonjournal.com) (03/04/03) P. E10; Laucius, Joanne

 

Canadian health officials say the lack of a uniform vaccination policy against chickenpox, whooping cough, and other sometimes fatal infections is nothing short of a "recipe for disaster."  Dr. Monika Naus, associate director of epidemiology services at the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control, and Dr. David Scheifele, chairman of the Canadian Association for Immunization Research and evaluation, sent a letter to Canada's health minister warning of the dangers that not having a national vaccine policy poses for the country's children.  Unlike the United States, Britain and Australia, vaccination policies in Canada are fragmented across the provinces, with parents often paying out of pocket for vaccinations that can run as high as C$600.  For example, vaccinations against meniningococcus are free in Quebec, but they cost C$100 in Ontario.  Such disparities in public policy, warned Naus and Scheifele in an open letter in today's Canadian Medical Association Journal, are "a sure recipe for disaster."  They said the situation will probably get worse as new vaccines--such as those for sexually transmitted diseases like chlamydia and human papilloma virus--are introduced to the market.

 

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