Liberal MPs apologized Wednesday for distributing a household flyer that attacks the government’s handling of H1N1 among aboriginals with the slogan “No vaccines, just body bags.”
The flyer, mailed as a message from Liberal health critic Dr. Carolyn Bennett, features a picture of body bags in a lab and a sick aboriginal child.
Grand Chief Ron Evans of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs told a parliamentary committee the flyer was “very disturbing...it’s really troubling to our people.”
The pamphlet arrived on doorsteps after an investigation into an incident in which an official ordered 100 body bags for a First Nations community in Manitoba struggling with an H1N1 outbreak. The investigation concluded there was no ill will and the number was a miscalculation.
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But Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq wasn’t satisfied. She told the CBC, “We are in a pandemic situation where Dr. Bennett should know better.
“First Nations communities should not be used as punching bags for a political party.”
Good for Minister Aglukkaq, this has been made into a political issue by the Liberals from the get go. I'm afraid Dr. Bennett is a politician not a doctor, even if she has the degree. How childish and dangerous for her to be sending a flyer like that when we have a serious health crisis happening.
My husband and I have been discussing the vaccine for our boys. About 2 weeks ago, my oldest stayed home not feeling very well, but he had no fever or vomiting, then my youngest came down with the same thing, then both my husband and I started feeling bad but not bad enough to stay home, we were all just mildly under the weather, no fevers. So, did we all have H1N1? If so, none of us need the vaccine. Problem is that testing to see if you have H1N1 has stopped and the assumption is that if you have the flu, it's H1N1.
Here is an article that I found very helpful. Is it swine flu? When parents should call a doctor
How do I know if my child has swine flu or a regular flu?
Without laboratory testing, it's difficult to tell the difference between swine flu and seasonal flu. And with the strain established in communities across Canada, doctors are no longer testing to determine which types of flu people have.
But because the H1N1 is circulating so widely and "pushing out" other strains, chances are good that if you catch the flu in the next couple of months, you've caught swine flu.
The symptoms of swine flu in kids older than five are similar to those of regular flu. They are:
* fever of 38 C (100.4 F) or higher when measured orally
* coughing and sore throat
* fatigue
* lack of appetite
* sometimes vomiting and diarrhea, especially in younger children
Make sure you read the rest of the article, it's very informative for parents. I asked my youngest how many kids were missing from his class today, he said about 11 out of 30, so it appears the flu is here. Now, the question is, have we already, without knowing it helped to spread the flu? Or, was it something else and we should still get the vaccine? In the end, you can consult all the doctors you want, but the decision is yours to make. We are waiting for the people really at risk to get their flu shots before we make our final decision. If we have already had H1N1 and recovered, then no need for us to take up someone else's spot in the vaccine lineup.
All the information is available for those who want to make an informed decision. Look at the sidebar of the above article, lots of links are available.
H/T to posters Gabby in QC, Bec, and MaryT for some great links and comments here.
