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Daily Archives
January 12, 2024
Respiratory syncytial virus | Less than 1% of seniors vaccinated
written by Alexandra Hartman Editor-in-Chief
2024-01-11 10:00:00
Despite the increased circulation of respiratory viruses, less than 1% of elderly people in Quebec have received the vaccine once morest the respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), according to data obtained by The Press. The cost of the vaccine, not covered by the government, can reach $300.
Published yesterday at 5:00 a.m.
Barely 6,000 people aged 60 or over received the RSV vaccine in Quebec between September 28 and January 7, according to data from the vaccination registry of the Infocentre de santé publique du Québec. That’s regarding 1 in 400 people.
“There’s no point having a really good vaccine if no one uses it. In my opinion, it would be a monumental failure,” laments Dr. Donald Vinh, infectious disease specialist and microbiologist at the McGill University Health Center.
He explains this low coverage by the price of the vaccine, which is not covered in Quebec. Some pharmacies offer the vaccine for a price generally between $260 and $300. On the Clic Santé platform, some pharmacies in the Montreal region offer it. Outside the mainland, the offer is much more limited.
In the United States, 18% of people aged 60 and older had gotten the RSV vaccine as of January 5, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). This is significantly more than in Quebec, where 0.2% obtained it.
“This is not much and we should aim to increase this coverage,” also believes Alain Lamarre, professor-researcher specializing in immunology and virology at the National Institute of Scientific Research (INRS).
“Despite recent progress in the development of effective RSV vaccines, much remains to be done in Canada to promote and support better access to these vaccines among older Canadians,” reads a report from the National Institute on Aging at Metropolitan University of Toronto published in October.
A vaccine that is not covered
In August, Health Canada approved Arexvy, a vaccine aimed at preventing RSV-related respiratory illnesses in adults aged 60 and over. Later, in January, the agency approved the Abrysvo vaccine by Pfizer which is also aimed at adults aged 60 and over, but also at pregnant women aged 32 to 36 weeks, in order to protect their infants from birth until at the age of 6 months.
« The [ministère de la Santé et des Services sociaux] is currently awaiting the opinion of the INSPQ Quebec Immunization Committee before making the decision to integrate the RSV vaccine into its Quebec Immunization Program and thus distribute it free of charge to the clienteles for whom it would be necessary,” said The Press the public affairs advisor – relations with the media and the Ministry’s network, Noémie Vanheuverzwijn.
The data from the Quebec Immunization Committee “will be available over the coming weeks and months,” indicated the national director of public health, Dr. Luc Boileau, at a press conference on Wednesday. Depending on the results, Public Health will recommend or not to the Minister of Health to cover the vaccine.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
The national director of public health, Dr. Luc Boileau, at a press conference, Wednesday
For the moment, we are not suggesting that the government cover [le vaccin]but if people want to get it, it’s available.
Dr. Luc Boileau, national director of public health
Dr. Donald Vinh, however, says that both vaccines offer “excellent protection.” “I hope that all the provinces, and not just Quebec, come to common sense and agree to cover them for people at risk,” he argues.
The Ontario government, for its part, has decided to offer the RSV vaccine free of charge to people aged 60 and over at risk of serious infections, particularly those living in long-term care homes, who are on hemodialysis or who are recipients of solid organ transplants.
Protect once morest severe complications
Although respiratory syncytial virus usually causes a mild illness with cold-like symptoms, the infection can progress to lower respiratory illness that can lead to hospitalization. Infants, people aged 65 and over, and immunocompromised people are particularly likely to develop a severe form of RSV disease.
It is well known that RSV can cause major, if not catastrophic, problems in young children, but also in the elderly.
Dr. Donald Vinh, infectious disease specialist and microbiologist at the McGill University Health Center
The virus can attack the lungs and respiratory tract, causing the patient to be hospitalized.
“RSV is particularly problematic because it is more contagious than seasonal flu,” reads the report from the National Institute on Aging. A recent study also showed that adults aged 60 and over infected with RSV had a risk of hospitalization and mortality similar to that of people suffering from the flu, the report indicates. Another study found that the mortality rate among older adults hospitalized for RSV infection in the United States is 6 to 8%.
It is also possible to be infected with RSV repeatedly. Reinfections are generally less severe in older children and adults, but can have serious health consequences in older adults.
“Vaccination remains relevant”
RSV, COVID-19 and seasonal flu (influenza) are still very present in the population. At a press conference on Wednesday, the Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, invited Quebecers, in particular the most vulnerable people, to make “one last effort on vaccination, particularly for influenza”. “Vaccination remains relevant,” also declared Dr. Boileau.
PHOTO MARTIN CHAMBERLAND, THE PRESS
The Minister of Health, Christian Dubé, at a press conference, Wednesday
More than 1.7 million Quebecers received the influenza vaccine between September 28 and January 7, significantly more than the 6,000 people who received the RSV vaccine during the same period. Among them, around 81,000 are minors, 464,000 are between 18 and 59 years old, and 1.2 million are over 60 years old.
The COVID-19 vaccine generated slightly less enthusiasm: 1.1 million people aged 60 and over, 372,000 people aged 18 to 59 and 36,000 children received it during the period from September 28 to January 7.
With the collaboration of Léa Carrier, The Press
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#Respiratory #syncytial #virus #seniors #vaccinated
Senegalese President’s State Visit to Mauritania: Gas Project, Fishing Agreements, and Regional Security
written by Alexandra Hartman Editor-in-Chief
2024-01-11 23:51:00
The Senegalese president arrived in Nouakchott on Thursday January 11 following responding to the invitation of his Mauritanian counterpart and leaves this Friday. A meeting expected a few months before the next presidential elections in their respective countries. It is also an opportunity to discuss common projects.
Published on: 01/12/2024 – 00:51
1 mn
With our correspondent in Noukachott, Léa Breuil
On Thursday, Senegalese flags were in the spotlight in the Mauritanian capital. The Senegalese and Mauritanian presidents met behind closed doors in the followingnoon in the presidential lounge.
Among the main subjects discussed, according to the national observers contacted, the imminent start of the largest offshore gas extraction project in the West African region, known as GTA. A deposit shared between the two countries. If the completion of the project has fallen behind schedule, according to the latest statement from the Mauritanian government this Wednesday, gas production should begin before the end of the first quarter of 2024.
Among the other subjects on the agenda: the recent signing of the new fishing protocol agreement between the two countries which provides access for Senegalese fishermen to Mauritanian waters. Or even the security issues in the region.
The Senegalese president then continued his visit to meet his community who came in large numbers to welcome him in the former convention center in the Mauritanian capital.
His last state visit to Mauritania ends this Friday with, among other things, the inauguration of the new Senegalese embassy located in the central district of Tevragh Zeina.
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#Senegalese #President #Macky #Sall #state #visit #Mauritania
International Coalition Strikes Yemen Rebels: Analysis and Updates
written by Alexandra Hartman Editor-in-Chief
2024-01-12 00:41:21
The United States and the United Kingdom, with the support of several allies including Canada, carried out an unprecedented strike once morest rebels in Yemen on Thursday evening.
• Read also: Iran seizes oil tanker in Gulf of Oman in retaliation once morest US
• Read also: Houthi rebel attacks: shipping collapses in Red Sea, expert says
• Read also: Houthi attack in the Red Sea, 21 drones and missiles shot down
“It is too early to say the extent of the damage, but limited strikes will not damage the Houthis enough to make a difference […] on the other hand, if the United States carries out big strikes, we risk getting bogged down in a new war in the Middle East. It’s a very difficult balance to find,” observes Thomas Juneau, professor at the Graduate School of International Public Affairs at the University of Ottawa.
Telegram
After numerous attacks by Houthi rebels on ships in the Red Sea in recent weeks, the United States and the United Kingdom report “successful” strikes on Yemen’s capital and other controlled cities in the country by the rebels on Thursday.
Since the start of the war on October 7 between Israel and Hamas in the Gaza Strip, the Houthis, close to Iran, have increased attacks once morest commercial ships in the Red Sea, claiming to target boats linked to the State Hebrew in solidarity with the Palestinians.
PHOTO PROVIDED BY Thomas Juneau
Thomas Juneau, professor at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa.
“This is the first time the United States has carried out strikes once morest the Houthis inside Yemen […] to do nothing was a very bad option,” underlines Thomas Juneau, professor and author of the book Yemen at war.
The United States had already deployed warships and set up an international coalition in December to protect maritime traffic in this area where 12% of world trade passes.
Telegram
Some ships are now bypassing the area, which has driven up transport costs between Europe and Asia.
Numerous supports
The multi-country offensive is believed to have involved fighter jets and Tomahawk missiles, US media said.
They targeted radars and drone and missile infrastructure in order to reduce their capabilities to attack merchant ships in the Red Sea, US Defense Minister Lloyd Austin said in a statement.
“Our goal remains the de-escalation of tensions and the restoration of stability in the Red Sea,” said a joint statement involving the United States, Australia, Canada, Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, South Korea, the United Kingdom and Bahrain.
For its part, the British press claims that the British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak, has given his agreement for strikes.
The leader of the Yemen rebels, Abdel Malek al-Houthi, had threatened earlier in the day to respond to any American attack in the Red Sea with even “more important” operations than the particularly heavy one dating from Tuesday.
These are 18 drones and three missiles which were then shot down by combat planes deployed from the American aircraft carrier Dwight D. Eisenhowerthree American destroyers and a British warship, the HMS Diamond.
We still do not know the results of these attacks, but civilian losses are expected.
– With Agence France-Presse
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#USBritish #strikes #targeting #Houthis #Yemen