Feb 17, 2015
By Jane Brown
As the number of confirmed cases of measles in Ontario rises to 16, some public health experts are questioning why governments and regulatory bodies are not cracking down on those who sell so called homeopathic measles vaccines.
The federal government has approved for sale dozens of nosodes; products homeopaths and naturopaths often call “homeopathic vaccines”. Some licensed naturopaths and chiropractors in Canada also promote unscientific views about the dangers of traditional vaccines and link them to autism, allergies and other health problems. Robert Moriarty is the president of the Canadian Pediatric Society. He says “the government holds doctors and the pharmaceutical professions to a much higher standard than chiropractors and naturopaths.” A spokesman for Health Minister Rona Ambrose says in a statement, the decision to approve nosodes, or homeopathic vaccines, rests with scientists at Health Canada.
A measles scare has prompted Ontario’s acting chief medical officer to ask about a thousand people who attended an event in Etobicoke this month to check their immunization status.
A participant at the “Acquire the Fire” gathering held at the Queensway Cathedral across the street from Ikea on February 6th and 7th had measles. And because the disease is so contagious, anyone who was at the event and not immunized could be at risk.
Dr. Robin Williams says most teens in Ontario have been vaccinated but there is still some risk the virus could spread. Three cases have been confirmed in the Niagara Region and experts there say they’re all connected.
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