Canadian Newspaper Coverage of the A/H1N1 Vaccine Program (Quantitative Research) (Report‪)‬

In March 2009, reports began to surface from Mexico of a virus dubbed the "swine flu" and later classified as the A/H1N1 virus. On June 11, 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a global influenza pandemic. Reports of vaccine development began to appear in the media about the same time. (1) Mass vaccination clinics were established across the globe in the following months until the WHO officially declared the influenza pandemic over on August 10, 2010. (2) In Canada, the mass vaccination program was approved and commenced in late October 2009, but the program was surrounded by debate from the outset. The safety and effectiveness of the vaccine was questioned, with concerns focusing on safety of the adjuvant and thimerosal in the vaccine and risks for pregnant women, children, and persons with allergies, asthma and auto-immune disorders. (3) While the Canadian federal government provided recommendations for vaccine prioritization for high-risk groups, each province was responsible for determining the order in which high-risk groups and the general public were eligible to receive the A/H1N1 vaccine. Regional variation reportedly resulted in lengthy queues at some clinics and confusion about who could receive the vaccine. (4,5) Ultimately, the Public Health Agency of Canada recommended the A/H1N1 vaccine for "all Canadians over 6 months of age who have no contraindication" and promised the "vaccine will be available for any person who needs and wants it." (6) Despite this recommendation for near-universal vaccination, rates of vaccination uptake varied widely across Canada. According to Statistics Canada, 41% of Canadians say they received the A/H1N1 vaccination, but vaccination varied widely by age (with a low of 32% among 22 to 44 year-olds and a high of 62% among those 85 and older) and by region (generally over 60% in the eastern provinces and around 35% in most of the western provinces). (7)