Health Canada should dig down and find some decent answers for those who have already taken flu shots this season. Its decision to ban the use of flu vaccines from the Italian plants of the firm Novartis offers no information as to what is going on. It’s said that the vaccines, FluAd and Agriflu, contained clumps of viral proteins in some of the vaccine batches. Yes. And what? So far it seems Health Canada doesn’t think there is an “And what?” We understand that the government doesn’t want to undermine the flu vaccine program. But as public information goes, this is about as unsatisfactory as it gets. “We’re cancelling a bunch of flu vaccine because some of it has this funny stuff in it. See ya later.” Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health Arlene King says the provincial flu program is safe, but she doesn’t have anything specific to say either. There are other vaccines, she says. Well, that’s great. What about the people who got the potentially funny stuff? To recall a vaccine without telling those who got it exactly what they should, or should not, expect is like trying to defy gravity. Now the drug firm itself has said in a statement that more than one million doses of its flu vaccines have been administered in Europe this season and no unexpected adverse events have been reported. That’s nice to hear. But it’s still doesn’t address the reasonable questions the public might have about “clumps of viral proteins.”
