Healthy Skepticism Library item: 11602

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Publication type: news

Siers-Poisson J.
Debating Gardasil in Canada
Center for Media and Democracy 2007 Sep 12
http://www.prwatch.org/node/6424

Abstract:

On Wednesday, September, 5, 2007, I was pleased to participate in a panel discussion on The Agenda with Steve Paikin on Ontario Public Television in Toronto, Canada…

…The panel was basically split between those that advocated for mass immunization against HPV and that didn’t think the process had moved too quickly – Drs. Steben, Dollin, and Butler-Jones – and the rest of us, who had concerns and thought a yellow light approach was the most appropriate. As the sole non-Canadian on the panel, and as the only one not working directly in the health professions, I also had a different perspective to share.

The impetus for the panel was the start of mass vaccination of 8th grade girls in the province of Ontario at the start of the school year. In March 2007 the Canadian federal government announced CA$300million in funding to help provinces vaccinate their girls against HPV, and in August, the premier of Ontario announced a provincial investment of CA$117 million. But then, the August 27, 2007 cover story of Maclean’s magazine announced, “Our Girls Aren’t Guinea Pigs” and the public debate heated up significantly…

Notes:

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