Canada: Don't give flu shots to Americans

[Bluebear]

Thanks for pissing off our friends to the north, Mr. "President". After all, those Canadian vaccines might be deadly, right?


===
CMA president warns Canadian doctors about giving flu shots to Americans

TORONTO (CP) - With a massive shortage of influenza vaccine in the United States, Americans living near the border may be contemplating a cross-border trip for a flu shot this fall.

But the president of the Canadian Medical Association urged Canadian doctors to remember their first duty this influenza season is to their own patients.

"The vaccine shortage problem . . . that they now have in the States or elsewhere in the world is not for us here to fix or sort out," Dr. Albert Schumacher said in an interview Friday.

Schumacher warned that, in particular, doctors on this side of the border shouldn't put vaccine purchased by provincial and territorial governments - the bulk of the vaccine available in Canada - into the arms of non-residents.

"The stuff that's sitting in my fridge isn't for them," Schumacher said flatly.

http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/cpress/20041015/ca_pr_on_na/cross_border_flu_shots_2

[Maple]

1. Well I can see his point

and he's just doing his job...but you can have mine all the same.

[Bluebear]

2. I absolutely see his point

And if our President hadn't been such a dick about calling Canadian drugs potentially harmful we may have gotten some help.

[951]

3. Thanks Canada...

I'll remember this

[Bluebear]

4. Don't blame Canada, talk to Tommy Thompson

The Food and Drug Administration is talking with two companies that sell flu vaccine in Canada and elsewhere and has found a few million unsold doses.

But that vaccine is not licensed for sale in the United States, so meeting FDA requirements in time for this flu season "is doubtful," Health and Human Services Secretary Tommy Thompson said Thursday.

http://newsobserver.com/news/story/1733581p-8001016c.html

==

He needs to keep pretending that Canadian drugs are poison so he doesn't get DimSon into trouble.

[951]

6. Canada is holding an unfair grudge

When we really need them the most they turn their backs I really thought they would be above this.

[GodHelpUsAll2]

9. An "unfair" grudge?

How can you possibly say this is an unfair grudge? The way the US has treated the rest of the world i'm suprised the bombing hasn't begun. Letting us all get the flu pales in comparison to what other countries could be doing. Remember, in the words of your own President, pre-emptive invasion because you THINK someone MIGHT be a threat in the future is perfectly ok. And I can't think of a country that poses more of a THREAT to others right now than the good old USA.

[951]

11. "WE" never did anything to you

"I" never did anything to you so do "WE" have to suffer for someone and something completely unrelated to the Flu vaccines people are dying in line waiting for their vaccines and all you can think about is our relationship with the world?

I just pray that most Canadian don't share your bigoted views.

[GodHelpUsAll2]

12. I'm not a Canadian

I was born right here in the USA thank you. And I heavily subscribe to the "you get what you give" doctrine.

[951]

13. Huh?

...Hell if you are going to use Bush as an excuse we didnt even vote him in he lost by over 500,000 votes remember?

[Kanary]

18. "Unfair" is your accusation.

The world doesn't OWE *anything* to the US.

It's time for us to face that fact.

Kanary

[Massacure]

14. Great, so the Bush Administration sits on their ass *again*

[Karenina]

5. Canada don't "owe" you

SHIT!!! What has your gub'mint done for Canada besides insulting them, threatening them, killing their troops who were in a theatre to lend support and demanding that anyone who calls out your *dumbass as such resign? :eyes: How about remembering THOSE THINGS????

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[GodHelpUsAll2]

7. You will

and I will. Problem is the rest of the idiot public that thinks Bush is doing a whiz bang job won't. Does this suprise anyone? And gee, isn't Canada where Bush just said the US was trying to obtain the vaccine from since the stuff his good ally England sent is contaminated and worth shit?

[Minstrel Boy]

15. Geez, don't take it personally.

This isn't grudge-worthy. Our population is a tenth of yours. We don't have the surplus to bail you out.

[Bluebear]

17. Plus those Canadian drugs are dangerous

Straight out of a witch's cauldron, Bush told me so.

[Kanary]

19. I apologize for the unthinking attacks of some Merkins.

You're absolutely correct that your surplus is for *your* citizens, and not your responsibility to bail out the US for their own idiocy.

It's so funny to me that Merkins complain about US citizens who get "handouts", yet practically demand the same from other nations.

We have a lot of reassessment to do!!

:pals: for our Canadian friends!

Kanary

[GodHelpUsAll2]

26. I agree 100%

There needs to be some serious reassessment. I honestly think this whole flu shot shortage has been an un-necessary panic created by the goverment and the media. I'd like to see some stats on just how many people in the US actually got flu shots in the past 2 years. And how many people actualy died directly from the flu. And while i'm at it, i'd also like to know of those that did die how many of them didn't get a flu shot because they just couldn't afford it?

As for people at this time, "dieing in line" waiting to get flu shots. Well, in my opinion, it is just a bit melodramatic.

I think i'll go to the CDC website and take a looksie.

[Forkboy]

20. I'm sure Canada is quaking in fear of 951

:eyes:

[951]

22. Why would they?

What the hell are you eluding to?

[Forkboy]

23. ...

951 (807 posts) Fri Oct-15-04 11:16 PM
Response to Reply #2

3. Thanks Canada...


I'll remember this

[in_cog_ni_to]

10. I can't say that I blame him.

They need to take care of their own citizens. Our anger should be aimed at the bastard who dropped the ball on this, THE IDIOT-IN-CHIEF.

[KayLaw]

16. Absolutely

They should provide for the Canadian people first. It's only fair and a no-brainer.

[Lisa]

21. why is Bush trying to outsource the health care of Americans?

For such a super-patriot who is SO concerned about his citizens, it seems he's been doing his darndest to make the US more vulnerable. It occurs to me that by letting this situation with desperate Americans buying pharmaceuticals from us drag on, he's "winning both ways" again.

Basically, if anything goes wrong (not enough supply, etc.) he can blame Canada. And if more Americans start to rely on us for their meds, he can stomp and shout at us, accusing us of making substandard pills, while not doing ANYTHING to improve the situation for American patients. It is his job to help Americans in their time of need, and I think we can all agree that he's failed at that.

Most Canadians are very sympathetic (about the American people that is, if not Bush!) -- but the problem is, we didn't forsee events like the flu vaccine recall. As someone mentioned earlier, there are only 32 million of us, and almost 10 times as many Americans. Unless we goofed and overordered dramatically, there just wouldn't be enough vaccine. Even if Bush marched up here and confiscated all our stocks, it STILL wouldn't be enough, if you do the math! Providing food and shelter for thousands of stranded Americans on Sept 11th was no problem, but our vaccine supplies can only be stretched so far.

It's even worse if Canada becomes a long-term enabler of Bush's policies. If some Americans think that they can always buy drugs from us if they need to, or get fuel or clean water from us if there's a crisis, or send their kids up here if there's a draft -- so they still keep supporting Bush's plans -- how can Canadians not be concerned?

While it's a desperate and frustrating situation, and the impulse to lash out at any perceived callousness is quite human -- please remember that the biggest source of that callousness is hunkered down in the White House, receiving top-notch medical care courtesy of the American taxpayers. HE doesn't have to worry about housing, nutrition, working extra jobs, or medical bills.

[Skittles]

24. you can't blame them

they have to take care of their own first; that is their primary responsibility. It's not anti-Americanism or even anti-Bush.

[booley]

25. This is becoming a typical attitude for canadians

a lot of canadians that I have talked too are getting annoyed at Americans for what they see as an exploitation of thier health care system.

And why shouldn't they? after all, we don't pay into the Canadian health care system. It's our stupid officials that keep trying to edge around the desperate need for Universal health care, Our country that's lagging behind on this. And OUR officials that are so in the pocket of the American pharmaceuticals that they don't even contemplate the simple fact that Americans wouldn't need to cross the border for drugs if they just did collective bargaining like the canadians do.

Buying canadian drugs has always been, at best, a band aid.

[DemBones DemBones]

27. I see his point, but if they have an excess, I wish they would share.

I have three chronic health conditions and so I'm supposed to have a flu shot every year. I haven't had the flu since the early eighties and have no idea how sick it might make me now. I know that flu lands a lot of people in the hospital every year, some of whom die. And of course I am not alone, lots of Americans have increased reason to fear influenza.

[GodHelpUsAll2]

28. According to

the CDC website, there will be 55 million flu shots available, and an additional 1 million doses of the nasal flu vaccine for a total of 56 million flu preventative vaccines. Again, according to the CDC website the 55 million shots equal half of what the US normally has available which would mean that in a normal flu season without the oops of a contaminated batch there would only be approx. 110 million shots available.

The population of the US, according to the census bureau is 294,527,011 as of Oct 16, 2004. So it would appear that in a noraml run of the mill flu season the US only obtains enough flu shots to cover about 1/3 of the total population. This data tells me that there are a whole bunch of people out there that never even get the shot. So I am sticking with my opinion that this flu shot shortage is a mass panic created by the government and the media. I'm still researching for the numbers on what the percentages of the population each year actually get the flu shot.


edit for typo