Health Canada gets replacement TB vaccine
Canadian manufacturer of BCG vaccine recalled its drug in June
CBC News
Posted: Sep 17, 2012 3:25 PM CT
Last Updated: Sep 17, 2012 4:14 PM CT
Dr. Maureen Baikie, Nunavut's Chief Medical Officer of Health, said the new vials of the vaccine will likely arrive in the territory in October. (CBC)
Related
Health Canada has found a replacement for the BCG tuberculosis vaccine, which is offered to all newborns in Nunavut.
The vaccine helps protect from against serious forms of the disease, like TB meningitis.
The territory has been without the vaccine since June when the Canadian manufacturer of the drug recalled all of its existing inventory.
Now, new vials will be coming from a company in Tokyo.
"The Government of Nunavut has been working closely with our partners in the provinces and territories to get some of this vaccine in to the country. We have some on order and we expect to get it probably early October, we don't have a firm date yet," said Dr. Maureen Baikie, the Deputy Chief Medical Officer of Health for Nunavut.
The problems with the Canadian BCG manufacturer started after a fire sprinkler went off unexpectedly at its Toronto plant.
A company spokesperson said Monday that production will resume in December 2013.
Baikie said there have been no cases of TB in infants who would have received the vaccine in Nunavut since the supply ran out.
Now health officials have decided to review the use of BCG in the territory.
Share Tools
Latest North News Headlines
- Agnico-Eagle worker found alive after blizzard
- A worker missing from Agnico-Eagle's Meliadine camp near Rankin Inlet, Nunavut, was found alive late Thursday night, after weathering a potentially record-breaking blizzard. more »
- Sahtu board issues draft conditions for fracking project
- The Sahtu Land and Water Board has decided not to send a controversial drilling exploration project near Norman Wells, N.W.T., to an environmental assessment. more »
- Harper chief of staff resigns amid Senate expense scandal
- Nigel Wright has resigned as Prime Minister Stephen Harper's chief of staff, following revelations he wrote a $90,000 cheque to repay living expenses claimed by Senator Mike Duffy. more »
- Iqaluit man faces firearms charges
- David Kunuk, 41, has been charged with careless use of a firearm, improper use of a firearm and resisting arrest. more »
Must Watch
Top News Headlines
- Harper chief of staff resigns amid Senate expense scandal
- Nigel Wright has resigned as Prime Minister Stephen Harper's chief of staff, following revelations he wrote a $90,000 cheque to repay living expenses claimed by Senator Mike Duffy. more »
- Jeep driver apologizes after stunt kills Edmonton woman
- A man claiming to be the driver of a Jeep that struck and killed a spectator at a charity event in Edmonton says he is sorry for what happened. more »
- Senior Pakistani politician Zahra Shahid shot dead
- Voting in Karachi goes ahead a day after gunmen killed a senior member of Imran Khan's Movement for Justice (PTI) party outside her home in Karachi. more »
- Saudi coronavirus work stymied at Canadian lab
- The National Microbiology Laboratory in Winnipeg is working with a sample of the new coronavirus that's causing clusters of infections abroad - but can't share the material with other researchers across the country despite the public health urgency. more »
- Bell Mobility to appeal ruling in 911 lawsuit
- Yukon Electrical launches eagle cam in Whitehorse
- Agnico-Eagle worker found alive after blizzard
- Second eaglet shown on Whitehorse nest cam
- Sahtu board issues draft conditions for fracking project
- Whitehorse ski hill could be sustainable, says consultant
- RCMP crack down on road safety during long weekend
- Iqaluit man faces firearms charges
- Harper chief of staff resigns amid Senate expense scandal
