Tweet
Source: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/n.p...zed-2009-11-05
Swine flu toll climbs as issue becomes politicized
Thursday, November 5, 2009
ANKARA ? H?rriyet Daily News
With the death toll from the H1N1 virus, known as swine flu, rising everyday in Turkey, discussions on the flu and its vaccination have become increasingly political.
With fatalities increasing this week, the death toll climbed to 19 on Thursday and with it public concerns grew about the ambiguity of the vaccine?s reliability. The issue took on a political dimension as a controversy broke out over the vaccination campaign after the prime minister refused to have an injection broke out.
While political discourses dominate medical discussions and warnings on a vital issue that concerns millions of lives, other countries and international politicians approach the issue cautiously, and refrain from political commentary.
After Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan publicly chided Health Minister Recep Akdağ for his insistent calls for citizens to get vaccinated, he then refused to have an injection on Tuesday. The duo came together late Wednesday to discuss the issue. Speaking to the H?rriyet Daily News & Economic Review after the meeting, Akdağ called the disagreement a ?road accident,? and said he would not resign. Akdağ received an injection before cameras on Tuesday.
Erdoğan?s announcement that he would not receive the vaccination further inflamed the political and medical discussions, with politicians and health authorities divided over the effectiveness of the vaccine. Opposition party deputies brought the issue to parliament with a motion Wednesday, asking if the prime minister and the health minister were truthful.
Opposition reacts
?The Health minister said he would file criminal complaints against those who oppose the vaccine. Now I am asking the health minister whether he will file a criminal complaint against the prime minister,? said Ahmet Ersin of the Republican People?s Party, or CHP. Mehmet Sevigen from the same party said, ?Whom will the public believe? The health minister who made decisive talks about the vaccine or the prime minister who invalidated the minister?s argument??
CHP?s Mustafa ?zy?rek accused the government of not having a national policy on the issue. Osman ?akır of the Nationalist Movement Party, or MHP, said Erdoğan?s remarks revealed there was no consensus within the government on the issue. ?The Health minister couldn?t persuade the prime minister,? ?akır said.
Of 100 deputies in Parliament, 40 said they would definitely not be vaccinated and 38 were undecided. Twelve deputies who decided to get an injection changed their minds and 10 deputies said they would if needed, according to the ANKA news agency.
Hospitals began vaccinating medical workers Monday, along with people traveling to Mecca for the hajj pilgrimage. The Health Ministry said Thursday 80,000 people had been vaccinated and they would continue to vaccinate other groups at risk in the coming days.
Health institutions worried
Erdoğan's remarks also divided the health institutions over the safety of the vaccine. The Turkish Doctors' Union said in a statement Wednesday that Erdoğan's remarks made an "irreparable" blow to the Health Ministry's credibility.
It slammed the government for "failing to convince its members" and cast doubt on "how competent [the government] will be in managing a nationwide pandemic." The Union said, "The benefits of the vaccine are much greater than the possible side effects."
Mehmet Ceyhan of Hacettepe University said it is impossible for the vaccine not to have side effects and all medicine has side effects to a certain extent.
Professor Cankat Tulunay of Turkish Society of Clinical Pharmacology said it seemed the prime minister?s advisors had more knowledge than the health minister. ?If Erdoğan chided the health minister, then Erdoğan might have serious information involving the vaccines. The vaccines could have serious side affects. If this happens, neither the health minister nor the prime minister can overcome the problem. They made people panic.?
Former Health Undersecretary Aytun ?ıray said the issue was exaggerated and the government caused a public panic because he neglected to take necessary preventive measures. Professor Erdal İnce of Ankara University said the side effects of the vaccine are no different from that of seasonal influenza flu vaccinations.
Professor Hande Harmancı of the World Health Organization, or WHO, said the vaccine was useful for public health and the Turkish Health Ministry acted in line with the WHO?s recommendations. ?Many countries in the world use this vaccine. The WHO supports the policies of the WHO-member health ministries in this respect,? Harmancı said. ?I think the prime minister wants to pave the way for others who need to be vaccinated as he wasn?t in the risk groups. But confusion creates public panic.?
Issue handled differently in other countries
Other countries and foreign politicians approach the issue in a sensitive manner and let health institutions have the final word.
According to the British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, who is in Turkey, it was not appropriate for a politician to comment on the issue. ?Disagreements on the vaccine also took place in England but the issue was evaluated and handled by experts,? said Miliband.
In his column Thursday, daily Sabah columnist Yavuz Donat said in Germany the health minister had an injection while German Chancellor Angela Merkel was not vaccinated. ?But neither Merkel nor the health minister as well as the opposition parties appeared on TV and talked about the vaccine. There were only two authorities speaking on the issue: the Robert Koch Institute and a permanent vaccination committee,? Donat said.
?Once the swine flu affected Germany, only Robert Koch Institute President J?rg Hacker commented. The vaccination issue didn?t turn into a political issue,? Donat said.
Swine flu toll climbs as issue becomes politicized
Thursday, November 5, 2009
ANKARA ? H?rriyet Daily News
With the death toll from the H1N1 virus, known as swine flu, rising everyday in Turkey, discussions on the flu and its vaccination have become increasingly political.
With fatalities increasing this week, the death toll climbed to 19 on Thursday and with it public concerns grew about the ambiguity of the vaccine?s reliability. The issue took on a political dimension as a controversy broke out over the vaccination campaign after the prime minister refused to have an injection broke out.
While political discourses dominate medical discussions and warnings on a vital issue that concerns millions of lives, other countries and international politicians approach the issue cautiously, and refrain from political commentary.
After Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan publicly chided Health Minister Recep Akdağ for his insistent calls for citizens to get vaccinated, he then refused to have an injection on Tuesday. The duo came together late Wednesday to discuss the issue. Speaking to the H?rriyet Daily News & Economic Review after the meeting, Akdağ called the disagreement a ?road accident,? and said he would not resign. Akdağ received an injection before cameras on Tuesday.
Erdoğan?s announcement that he would not receive the vaccination further inflamed the political and medical discussions, with politicians and health authorities divided over the effectiveness of the vaccine. Opposition party deputies brought the issue to parliament with a motion Wednesday, asking if the prime minister and the health minister were truthful.
Opposition reacts
?The Health minister said he would file criminal complaints against those who oppose the vaccine. Now I am asking the health minister whether he will file a criminal complaint against the prime minister,? said Ahmet Ersin of the Republican People?s Party, or CHP. Mehmet Sevigen from the same party said, ?Whom will the public believe? The health minister who made decisive talks about the vaccine or the prime minister who invalidated the minister?s argument??
CHP?s Mustafa ?zy?rek accused the government of not having a national policy on the issue. Osman ?akır of the Nationalist Movement Party, or MHP, said Erdoğan?s remarks revealed there was no consensus within the government on the issue. ?The Health minister couldn?t persuade the prime minister,? ?akır said.
Of 100 deputies in Parliament, 40 said they would definitely not be vaccinated and 38 were undecided. Twelve deputies who decided to get an injection changed their minds and 10 deputies said they would if needed, according to the ANKA news agency.
Hospitals began vaccinating medical workers Monday, along with people traveling to Mecca for the hajj pilgrimage. The Health Ministry said Thursday 80,000 people had been vaccinated and they would continue to vaccinate other groups at risk in the coming days.
Health institutions worried
Erdoğan's remarks also divided the health institutions over the safety of the vaccine. The Turkish Doctors' Union said in a statement Wednesday that Erdoğan's remarks made an "irreparable" blow to the Health Ministry's credibility.
It slammed the government for "failing to convince its members" and cast doubt on "how competent [the government] will be in managing a nationwide pandemic." The Union said, "The benefits of the vaccine are much greater than the possible side effects."
Mehmet Ceyhan of Hacettepe University said it is impossible for the vaccine not to have side effects and all medicine has side effects to a certain extent.
Professor Cankat Tulunay of Turkish Society of Clinical Pharmacology said it seemed the prime minister?s advisors had more knowledge than the health minister. ?If Erdoğan chided the health minister, then Erdoğan might have serious information involving the vaccines. The vaccines could have serious side affects. If this happens, neither the health minister nor the prime minister can overcome the problem. They made people panic.?
Former Health Undersecretary Aytun ?ıray said the issue was exaggerated and the government caused a public panic because he neglected to take necessary preventive measures. Professor Erdal İnce of Ankara University said the side effects of the vaccine are no different from that of seasonal influenza flu vaccinations.
Professor Hande Harmancı of the World Health Organization, or WHO, said the vaccine was useful for public health and the Turkish Health Ministry acted in line with the WHO?s recommendations. ?Many countries in the world use this vaccine. The WHO supports the policies of the WHO-member health ministries in this respect,? Harmancı said. ?I think the prime minister wants to pave the way for others who need to be vaccinated as he wasn?t in the risk groups. But confusion creates public panic.?
Issue handled differently in other countries
Other countries and foreign politicians approach the issue in a sensitive manner and let health institutions have the final word.
According to the British Foreign Secretary David Miliband, who is in Turkey, it was not appropriate for a politician to comment on the issue. ?Disagreements on the vaccine also took place in England but the issue was evaluated and handled by experts,? said Miliband.
In his column Thursday, daily Sabah columnist Yavuz Donat said in Germany the health minister had an injection while German Chancellor Angela Merkel was not vaccinated. ?But neither Merkel nor the health minister as well as the opposition parties appeared on TV and talked about the vaccine. There were only two authorities speaking on the issue: the Robert Koch Institute and a permanent vaccination committee,? Donat said.
?Once the swine flu affected Germany, only Robert Koch Institute President J?rg Hacker commented. The vaccination issue didn?t turn into a political issue,? Donat said.
Comment