Vaccines provide an opportunity
to prevent disease on a large, even global, scale. In
Canada, pediatric vaccines are relatively well entrenched
in standard care but, still, far too many children remain
behind schedule, and adults are the worst offenders
of all (see "Keep
your patients' shots up-to-date").
On the development side, the pace
has most certainly picked up, with new vaccines available
for pneumococcal pneumonia, chickenpox, human papilloma
virus, rotavirus and meningitis. One Montreal immunologist
told me the reason for this tremendous explosion comes
down to two words: Bill Gates. The droplet of funding
became an ocean and prompted a flurry of research activity
in this previously unpopular area.
So what do we do with it all? Once
upon a time, immunizations recommended by Canada's National
Advisory Committee on Immunization automatically went
onto the schedule with government funding. That's no
longer the case. In 2003, special federal money was
put into the National Immunization Strategy to improve
access to four new vaccines. But even though the money
clearly helped, the Tories have yet to say whether they'll
renew the funding, which dries up in March. Fearing
the worst, delegates at the recent immunization conference
in Winnipeg acted pre-emptively by sending Health Minister
Tony Clement a signed postcard urging him to "ensure
equitable access to vaccines for all Canadians."
This puts you, doctor, in a bit
of a bind. No one likes recommending a therapy when
they have to add, "by the way, that'll cost you" My
advice: keep talking. There's nothing like a well-informed
population to make our governments do the right thing.
— Susan Usher, Health Policy Editor
|
