A B.C. judge has ordered the vaccination of two children over the objections of their mother, who questioned the safety of immunization.
The case went to provincial court in Salmon Arm, in B.C.’s southern interior, because of the father’s concerns about recent measles outbreaks and a warning that education officials might not allow his two sons to attend school during an outbreak unless they were immunized.
The mother attempted to introduce a report into evidence written by a U.S. doctor who testified in the high-profile case of a Michigan mother who fought for years to keep from vaccinating her young daughter.
But Judge Stella Frame questioned Dr. Toni Lynn Bark’s qualifications to speak about immunology, virology or epidemiology as well as her claims to be an expert in “vaccine adversomics.”
“It is difficult to know whether or not this is junk science or a recognized emerging field,” Frame wrote in her eight-page decision.
“Presented as it is in her report, her theory or opinion sounds like a conspiracy theory.”
‘Vaccination is preferable to non-vaccination’
The ruling highlights the role of the courts in adjudicating splits between parents divided over vaccination.
Frame’s decision refers to an earlier B.C. Supreme Court decision in which a judge rejected attempts to link vaccines to autism. Frame said she had reached the same conclusion.
“The current best evidence is that vaccination is preferable to non-vaccination, that it is required in order to protect those who cannot be vaccinated as well as to protect ourselves, and that any adverse reaction the person may have from the vaccine is largely outweighed by the risk of contracting the targeted disease,” Frame wrote.
The boys’ mother said she was not a ‘fan’ of the influenza vaccine and worried about adverse reactions to other immunizations. (Robert Short/CBC)
The parents at the heart of the case are referred to by their initials in the ruling, which comes after an application from the father — DRB.
DRB and DAT have two boys from a five-year relationship that began in 2012. Both children are healthy, have no immunity problems and no ailments that would make them ineligible for live vaccines.
But DAT has refused to consent to vaccination or X-rays done at the dentist’s office.
According to the ruling, her opposition to X-rays led to one child needing a root canal, a filling and teeth removed.
“DRB said that multiple dentists at the dentist office had recommended that they do those X-rays,” the ruling says.
‘That is simply not the case’
DAT claimed she worked at a health centre and “was having discussions with various people about what was happening around these flu vaccines.”
She said she had gone to see a naturopath who spoke about adverse reactions. DAT decided she wanted the boys tested for a gene variant as well as allergies and food sensitivities before being vaccinated.
DRB was opposed to paying for testing that he felt was unnecessary.
Dr. Toni Lynn Bark of Illinois has testified in other cases in support of parents opposed to vaccination. But a B.C. provincial court judge questioned her expertise. (YouTube)
The report from Bark was actually written for another child, but the mother offered it to DAT to help her argue her case.
Bark, an Illinois doctor, has spoken frequently in opposition to vaccines and testified as a witness in support of Lori Matheson, a Detroit mother who made headlines in the U.S. fighting vaccination.
Although the judge in that case allowed Bark to testify about her own practice, she refused to qualify Bark as an expert witness on vaccinations, reaching a similar conclusion to Frame about Bark’s claims and credentials.
“One of the diseases that she claimed is very low risk to contract is measles,” Frame wrote.
“That is simply not the case. She also identifies tuberculosis, which is also not eradicated in some parts of Canadian communities. She believes these vaccinations are unnecessary because the identified or targeted diseases have essentially disappeared from developed countries.”
‘The responsibility of the parents’
For his part, DRB introduced two binding B.C. Supreme Court decisions in which judges concluded that the benefits of vaccination outweighed the risks of not being immunized, along with excerpts from reports about the value of immunization from a series of medical and research organizations.
Frame noted that not everyone is recommended for immunization, but the two boys did not fall into that category.
“That does not mean to say that parents should blindly follow whatever medical advice they are given. Errors — sometimes catastrophic ones — can be made by the pharmaceutical and medical industries,” the judge wrote.
“It remains the responsibility of the parents to hear the advice, ask the questions, do the research and reach the appropriate decision for their children.”
Frame decided that DRB should have sole responsibility for the medical and dental treatments for both boys and that they should be immunized according to Immunization B.C.’s immunization schedule.
HALIFAX – The Nova Scotia government says it could be months before it reveals how many people are on the wait-list for a family doctor.
The head of the province’s health authority told reporters Wednesday that the government won’t release updated data until the 160,000 people who were on the wait-list in June are contacted to verify whether they still need primary care.
Karen Oldfield said Nova Scotia Health is working on validating the primary care wait-list data before posting new numbers, and that work may take a matter of months. The most recent public wait-list figures are from June 1, when 160,234 people, or about 16 per cent of the population, were on it.
“It’s going to take time to make 160,000 calls,” Oldfield said. “We are not talking weeks, we are talking months.”
The interim CEO and president of Nova Scotia Health said people on the list are being asked where they live, whether they still need a family doctor, and to give an update on their health.
A spokesperson with the province’s Health Department says the government and its health authority are “working hard” to turn the wait-list registry into a useful tool, adding that the data will be shared once it is validated.
Nova Scotia’s NDP are calling on Premier Tim Houston to immediately release statistics on how many people are looking for a family doctor. On Tuesday, the NDP introduced a bill that would require the health minister to make the number public every month.
“It is unacceptable for the list to be more than three months out of date,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender said Tuesday.
Chender said releasing this data regularly is vital so Nova Scotians can track the government’s progress on its main 2021 campaign promise: fixing health care.
The number of people in need of a family doctor has more than doubled between the 2021 summer election campaign and June 2024. Since September 2021 about 300 doctors have been added to the provincial health system, the Health Department said.
“We’ll know if Tim Houston is keeping his 2021 election promise to fix health care when Nova Scotians are attached to primary care,” Chender said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 11, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Newfoundland and Labrador‘s chief medical officer is monitoring the rise of whooping cough infections across the province as cases of the highly contagious disease continue to grow across Canada.
Dr. Janice Fitzgerald says that so far this year, the province has recorded 230 confirmed cases of the vaccine-preventable respiratory tract infection, also known as pertussis.
Late last month, Quebec reported more than 11,000 cases during the same time period, while Ontario counted 470 cases, well above the five-year average of 98. In Quebec, the majority of patients are between the ages of 10 and 14.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick has declared a whooping cough outbreak across the province. A total of 141 cases were reported by last month, exceeding the five-year average of 34.
The disease can lead to severe complications among vulnerable populations including infants, who are at the highest risk of suffering from complications like pneumonia and seizures. Symptoms may start with a runny nose, mild fever and cough, then progress to severe coughing accompanied by a distinctive “whooping” sound during inhalation.
“The public, especially pregnant people and those in close contact with infants, are encouraged to be aware of symptoms related to pertussis and to ensure vaccinations are up to date,” Newfoundland and Labrador’s Health Department said in a statement.
Whooping cough can be treated with antibiotics, but vaccination is the most effective way to control the spread of the disease. As a result, the province has expanded immunization efforts this school year. While booster doses are already offered in Grade 9, the vaccine is now being offered to Grade 8 students as well.
Public health officials say whooping cough is a cyclical disease that increases every two to five or six years.
Meanwhile, New Brunswick’s acting chief medical officer of health expects the current case count to get worse before tapering off.
A rise in whooping cough cases has also been reported in the United States and elsewhere. The Pan American Health Organization issued an alert in July encouraging countries to ramp up their surveillance and vaccination coverage.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2024.
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