Friday’s Canada News Briefs

.c The Associated Press

Federal official says vaccines carrying minuscule risk of mad-cow worth it

OTTAWA (AP) - Canada’s use of vaccines that carry a theoretical risk of being contaminated with mad cow disease is worth the tiny risk it presents, a federal official said Friday.

The admission that such vaccines are used comes at the same time Canada has banned Brazilian beef over fears that it may be contaminated with the same disease.

But Health Department spokeswoman Diane Kirkpatrick said there is no comparison between vaccines that carry a slight theoretical risk and the Brazilian beef.

That’s because vaccines are necessary for health while Brazilian beef is not, Kirkpatrick told a briefing.

“You can’t refute the benefits of vaccines,” said Kirkpatrick. “Those benefits more than outweigh any theoretical risk. It’s a very different situation when you’re comparing risk with food products.”

Robert Peterson said the risk in using the vaccine has been calculated at one in 300,000,000, a risk so minuscule that it should not deter anyone from using it.

Ottawa announced a ban on Brazilian beef last week, citing a theoretical risk of mad-cow contamination. The move set off a furor in Brazil, which has no confirmed cases of the disease.

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ALL INFORMATION, DATA, AND MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR LEGAL ADVICE.  THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.