Here's some unwelcome news via the Vancouver Sun: Bird flu vaccine leaves 10 Canadians dead. (Never mind that Tamiflu isn't a vaccine—headline writers don't know anything.) Excerpt:
Ten Canadians have died and at least 74 had adverse reactions after taking Tamiflu, but Health Canada didn't issue a public update about the flu drug until Wednesday.
The update came more than two weeks after international warnings were posted of adverse reactions to the medication among children and youth.Wednesday's Health Canada information update said people in other countries -- particularly children and teens in Japan -- exhibited strange behaviour, including hallucinations and self-injury, after taking the drug.
Among those exhibiting this behaviour, there have been 25 reported deaths around the world in the most recent one-year period.
Health Canada said it has "not received any such reports" of abnormal behaviour among young people in Canada.
But it has asked Hoffmann-La Roche to include updated information about possible adverse reactions on its Canadian labels.
The information about young people on Tamiflu behaving strangely was widely publicized in Canadian media more than two weeks ago after the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and drug-maker Hoffmann-La Roche Ltd. issued a warning about the drug on Nov. 13.
Auditor-General Sheila Fraser's report released Tuesday included criticism that Health Canada doesn't issue timely and accurate health warnings to the public on a variety of issues.
The criticisms were voiced by Health Canada managers who said mismanagement and insufficient funds in a variety of areas, including drug programs, could jeopardize public health and safety.
Health Canada's bulletin said that since February 2000, 84 Canadians have had adverse reactions after taking the drug, including 10 who died and seven adults who reported "psychiatric adverse events."
I hope we learn more about this, and especially about how many have taken Tamiflu without harmful effects.
