Posted on 11/16/2009 4:48:29 AM PST by Clive
As Canadians fuss over the slow rollout of H1N1 shots and highly publicized cases of queue jumping, they can take solace in one generally overlooked fact: most other industrialized countries have considerably less of the vaccine on hand.
Per capita, the U.S. has shipped barely half as much as Canada. Britain -- twice as populous as Canada -- has distributed about the same volume of vaccine as here, France even less.
And yet those places are generally not seeing the same kind of controversy -- and saturation media coverage -- around the availability of vaccine as has Canada. The international comparisons beg the question: why has Canada's vaccine program, one of the most efficient in the world, been enveloped in dispute and recrimination almost from the start?
Experts in this country point to a high level of concern generally about the pandemic's impact after the deaths of two children last month, triggering an early surge in demand for immunization. Canadians have also shown a greater acceptance of the vaccine than people in some nations, where fears of its side effects have trumped concern about the virus.
"There is a lot of anxiety ... and fear and threat," said Scott Schieman, a University of Toronto sociologist who studies health and social behaviour. "Public perception is already high, people are paying attention, so any detail or information, even if it's not accurate, is going to be amplified."
There is also evidence that the taint of scandal surrounding the program may be more media-generated than a reflection of widespread public unease. A HarrisDecima poll released this week suggests that most Canadians think their governments have done at least a fair job of handling the pandemic, while two thirds believe the news media have overblown the crisis.
(Excerpt) Read more at nationalpost.com ...
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So the squeaky wheel does get the grease.
A local grammar school here where I live has vaccine for 500
and only 100 are fool enough to take the damn thing.
GlaxoSmithKline the US company that developed the vaccine donated millions of doses to the World Health Organization and distributed vaccines to other countries.
This is a US PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANY!!!!
Ironic ain’t it?
I guess the Canadian gov’t wants to kill/sterilize/mutilate their citizens more than the US does? /s
What are you saying? 400 kids did not take the vaccine? I wonder what they will do when they get the disease. Oh well I guess they can risk their lives. Yes I took it because it is mandatory for us but it was not too bad.
Actually, No. GlaxoSmithKline is British, head office is in London, England, UK
Myself and the entire rest of my family WILL NOT take this vaccine. I have two nieces however, who both work in the Healthcare field and it is mandatory for them to take it. The rest of us are not. CO
***Actually, No. GlaxoSmithKline is British, head office is in London, England, UK***
I am still confused - checked their site for data and there’s not a lot of merger history or private/public ownership etc., - only that they are headquartered in the UK and operate out of the US. (????)
Whatever the minutiae - it is a WESTERN based research & development medical entity.
Point taken
If you look at all the major pharmaceuticals you'll find them operating in any country that offers tax breaks / grants and access to university or government funded research . One thing we've noticed is that lately are all the ads for prescription drugs on US TV . We don't see that in Canada .
The patient telling the Doctor what they want rather than the Doctor telling the patient what they need . Great marketing concept. Not very healthy , but a great concept none the less.
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