Certainly. Thank you, Madam Chair.
Good afternoon, Madam Chair and members of the committee.
It's a pleasure to be here today to explain our plans for the H1N1 vaccine campaign for the fall flu season.
The second wave of H1N1 flu is here. We have worked hard together preparing for this wave, but our plans will only succeed if Canadians realize they and their families need to be vaccinated and take steps to do so. It's clear to me that vaccination is the most effective way of preventing the spread of any kind of flu, including this strain.
We know that Canadians have a lot of questions about the vaccine. Here are just a few examples: they want to know whether it's safe, whether it's been properly tested, whether it will work, and if the vaccine can give them the flu.
Those are good questions and we have good answers.
To begin, on Wednesday last week we made a very important announcement: we announced that the H1N1 vaccine has performed as we expected it would in clinical testing and that it is safe and effective. This announcement meant that we can start administering the millions of doses of this vaccine that have already been shipped to every province and territory. Now the provinces and territories can start administering the vaccine according to the plans for their own jurisdictions; in fact, the vast majority of the provinces are starting today.
Even though the H1N1 vaccine has been authorized, we don't expect the questions about its safety to stop. But the more Canadians know, the more they will trust the vaccine and see the merits of being immunized. It isn't easy to get that message across while battling the many myths out there. Over the last two weeks I've travelled with the minister, and we have met with Canadians and heard their concerns about the vaccine, about this disease, and we've answered their questions.
The average Canadian has to be reassured that the vaccine is safe or they won't be in line to be vaccinated when the program starts in their community.
We have ordered enough vaccine for every resident of Canada, but they have to be persuaded they need to get it. They have to understand that a vaccine will not only keep them from getting sick, but it will also prevent them from spreading it someone else, who will then spread it to yet another person.
Because this is a new strain, there's very little immunity to it, and we know that in some people it can be fatal. Already 86 people who have contracted this virus have died from it, and hundreds more have required intensive care.
We've been preparing for a pandemic influenza outbreak for several years. A contract has been in place with GlaxoSmithKline to ensure that every Canadian has access to a safe and effective vaccine. The Government of Canada facilitated the bulk purchase of the vaccine on behalf of the provinces and territories. Production began immediately after seasonal flu production runs were complete. That strategy was recommended by the WHO, the World Health Organization.
A handful of countries may have had access to H1N1 vaccines for some of their citizens before us. However, our bulk purchase means that we will be able to secure enough vaccine for every Canadian who needs and wants it—and few countries can say that. As I mentioned earlier, millions of doses have already been shipped to about 80 locations in the east, west, and northern parts of the country.
As you know, on the recommendation of the WHO, most of the vaccine being produced contains an adjuvant. The adjuvant boosts the immune system's response and makes it more effective, especially if the virus mutates during the fall flu season or into the spring. The adjuvant also allows faster production because it uses less of the antigen, the material that gives us the immunity.
The adjuvant's safety and efficacy have been proven. It has been used in Canada's H1N1 vaccine and it's made of natural products: oil, vitamin E, and water. This adjuvant has been safely tested on 45,000 people worldwide, and similar adjuvants have been used in millions of people. Adjuvant has been used since the 1920s and is included in such common vaccines as tetanus, hepatitis A and B, and diphtheria vaccines. Adjuvanted vaccine is the type of the vaccine we recommend for the vast majority of our population, and it is the vaccine that's available now.
The unadjuvanted vaccine is what we generally recommend for pregnant women until we have more clinical data. In the meantime, before the unadjuvanted vaccine is available, women more than 20 weeks pregnant and women in earlier stages of pregnancy with risk factors for severe disease should consider getting the adjuvanted vaccine.
While the order for 1.8 million does of unadjuvanted vaccine being produced by GSK is still on target for early November, we felt that given the increase in cases of H1N1 across the country, it would be prudent to offer pregnant women earlier access to an unadjuvanted vaccine. Today the Minister of Health announced that we had secured an additional supply of 200,000 doses of vaccine from Australia.
This vaccine has been approved for use by health regulators in Australia and the United States. Barring any distribution delays, this additional supply that's manufactured by CSL Australia will be available to the provinces and territories next week.
The fact that it comes from the southern hemisphere is an important point. While we in the northern part of the world were dealing with H1N1 over the summer in small amounts, the southern hemisphere was in the midst of its winter flu season. Australia was therefore one of the first countries in the world to offer the vaccine to the general population. We've learned a great deal from their efforts and about this vaccine.
Following the immediate distribution of the vaccine, Health Canada and the Public Health Agency of Canada will monitor the safety and effectiveness of the vaccine on an ongoing basis to help ensure the safety of pregnant women. It's important to note that some 600,000 people have already received this vaccine in Australia.
It is crucial that pregnant women consider the benefits of being immunized. The safety of the vaccine is of the utmost importance. So we will keep monitoring the vaccines for adverse events.
The Public Health Agency of Canada and Health Canada continue to monitor vaccines after they are authorized for use, with an eye to their future use .
We have comprehensive mechanisms in place to allow for rapid reporting of adverse events following immunization. In addition to existing surveillance systems, a pan-Canadian surveillance and risk management plan will be implemented to provide even more accurate reporting of adverse events.
We've also invested in the Pan-Canadian Research Network, a joint initiative between the Public Health Agency and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, which links some 80 scientists in 30 institutions across Canada. This network will strengthen Canada's capacity to help evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the H1N1 campaign and programs.
Through the national immunization strategy, the Public Health Agency of Canada continues to work with provinces and territories to monitor and evaluate the immunization programs and to assess the need for any actions or additions or changes to the existing national strategy.
This is the largest immunization campaign in Canadian history. So it's important that we maintain our communication with all Canadians. The government has been working with the provinces and territories to assist with their public information campaigns and to ensure consistent delivery of information and resources across Canada. That collaboration also helped us develop the Your H1N1 Preparedness Guide, a comprehensive guide to information about this virus.
The guide is available online and it is being distributed through Canada Post outlets and can be ordered through 1-800-O-Canada.
We have been collaborating with key public health stakeholders, such as the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada, the Canadian Paediatric Society, and other key stakeholders to develop fact sheets and immunization promotion materials to encourage immunization among at-risk populations. We have often said that knowledge is the best defence against this virus.
One of our most important tasks now is to share that knowledge.
Thank you, Madam Chair.
I look forward to answering all of the questions.