[VertiGoGo]

So, Toronto Mayor Mel Lastman was on CNN last night (April 24) blowing a gasket over the World Health Organization travel advisory for Toronto.

He said, "They don't know what they're talking about. I don't know who this group is, I never heard of them before. I'd never seen them before,"

It's the freakin' World Health Organization for crying out loud!!! They are world experts on health, illness and disease control. They do not simply issue statements at random and without medical knowledge to back it up.

It's too bloody bad that Toronto is taking it on the chin over SARS, but the disease needs to be contained. If that means trying to isolate the disease by urging people to stay away from some of the hot-spots for a while...so be it. Global health is a hell of a lot more important than Jays games and freakin' tourism.

Oh...and Mel...read a book or pick up a paper. The WHO is more than an old rock band.

What a moron.

 

[Lawrence]

Well...Let's see, The W.H.O. didn't send anyone to Toronto to inspect the situation, Instead they based their findings on heresay.

That to me is slanderous and if I was in the government then I certainly would be seeking compensation for the lost revenues of the businesses in Toronto.

I think it's the W.H.O. that is the moron here.

 

[Dr.G.]

VGG, everytime I heard ML say "WHO" rather than "The W, H, O", I wanted to scream. Not even my son, who is not very aware of political events, asked why ML was talking about the rock band during a SARS news conference. Go figure.

Still, this is no laughing matter for all in the TO/Ontario/Canadian areas.

 

[VertiGoGo]

Well...Let's see, The W.H.O. didn't send anyone to Toronto to inspect the situation, Instead they based their findings on heresay.

The W.H.O. does not issue travel advisories based on hearsay or political motivation. Along with the CDC in Atlanta, the W.H.O. is one of the most important health organizations in the world.

For anyone to b!tch and moan that the advisory should not have been issued because it might hurt the bottom line is an idiot (IMHO). Stopping the spread of a mysterious and deadly disease is a hell of a lot more important than Bay Street's bottom line.

 

[MACSPECTRUM]

the W.H.O has softened their stance that they fully informed and communicated with Canadian officials about the advisory

they now admit there were communication delays/errors and that they were at fault for them

CBC News - The National, Wed. April 24, 2003

 

[arminarm]

That's our Mel!

Just wait 'till the Xanax wears off!

 

[used to be jwoodget]

Yes, Mel is an idiot (no news there).

WHO also acted in a bizarre and uncharacteristic manner. Don Low thinks its because they needed to take the heat off China but I have no idea why. The fact is that there is only one case of confirmed SARS that cannot be linked to the index case. One. Un. Uno. Ein. No other infections have occurred from that case. The number of new infections in the past week is tiny. Toronto is very likely over the worst (until the next index case caused by someone flying in).

Toronto public health has also done some odd things. They report cumulative totals rather than new cases and they quote suspected and probably together. Together, this gives the impression that the situation is out of control.

On top of all this, we have a bunch of infection control specialists who think they are gods gift to television and provide conflicting advice, over-the-top reactions and lack perspective.

This needed leadership from the beginning. Six weeks later, its just starting to appear. Of course, the people who will suffer as a consequence are not limited to Toronto.....

BTW, I'm all for professional sports teams avoiding Toronto. It only affects the Jays and they are unable to get more than 30% of the seats filled at the SkyDome.

 

[gordguide]

Did anyone read the article in Saturday's Globe comparing the reaction of Vancouver and Toronto to the original carriers?

Both cities had a single case on about the same day in late February. Vancouver immediately issued advisories to hospitals, put the patient into a separate ward, and instituted Mask orders immediately. I case. Van officials admit they were also lucky; the patient was not very contageous when he was in public prior to hospitalisation.

Toronto did none of these things, and didn't issue advisories to other hospitals for about 2 weeks. Many cases.

Mel would be better spending his political currency finding out why Toronto hospitals did what they did and how to prevent such things in the future.

 

[Tomac]

Hepatitis C <=> Mel

 

[MACSPECTRUM]

GG,
Vancouver's infection rate has climbed of late.
Some new carriers arrived recently.
[ethnicity deleted]

 

[stinand]

Hey say what you want about Mel but at least he spoke out and presented another side of the story to the world. Both the BBC and CNN led their TO Sars story with Mel which forced them to give another view of the situation.

I think people would be better off getting on the provincial and federal politican's case who did less than nothing.

 

[(( p g ))]

Macspectrum:
I'm curious...why did you write "ethnicity deleted"?

 

[MACSPECTRUM]

I was just being concious of not pointing out the ethnicity of the individuals who most recently arrived in Canada (Vancouver) and have been identified as infected with SARS.

The source from which I gleaned the info. did identify the ethnicity of them.

I don't think it is correct to identify people in that fashion for that reason.

It is how seterotypes are born and are allowed to fester.

I hope that answers your question.

 

[Dr.G.]

macspectrum, I applaud you on your comment that " I don't think it is correct to identify people in that fashion for that reason. It is how seterotypes are born and are allowed to fester." I would agree with this statement and feel that you took the high road on this point. For that you should be commended.

 

[(( p g ))]

Thanks for your reply, Macspectrum. It's too bad that some people still think of this thing as an Asian problem, or that it somehow legitimizes the urge that some people have to make pariahs out of some citizens, based solely on ethnicity.

Of all places in North America, that SARS hit Toronto is a blessing in disguise (and I mean no disrespect to any of the families or victims of this terrible virus). Had it hit a rural area in Canada or in an American city--where significant percentages of the population are without medical insurance--this thing would be spreading exponentially faster. If anyone can get this thing under control it's Canadian science and health practitioners. God-speed to them.

 

[MACSPECTRUM]

The internment of Japanese-Canadians during WWII, the refusal to admit European Jewish refugees, again during WWII and the internment of Ukrainian-Canadians during WWI all have their roots in this type of "sterotyping and festering thereof."

This all happened not under Nazi regimes nor the evil eye of Stalin, but under the auspices (sp?) of our Canadian government.

As I have said before on ehMac, unless you can trace your roots back to the First Nations Peoples, we are ALL immigrants.

So before you make a "little joke" or point a finger or comment on "that person's mode of dress", remember , we are ALL immigrants.

 

[Dr.G.]

Well said, macspectrum. I recall that I was interviewed by a person just prior to myCanadian citizenship test, just wanting to know if I spoke English. I put down that I was born in New York City (which they ignored) and came to Canada from Athens, Georgia. He wanted to know if I meant Athens, Greece or the Republic of Georgia in the USSR. He then asked me why I wanted to be a landed immigrant of Canada, and did I speak either of "the two languages of the founding cultures of Canada". I explained to him that, in fact, Canada was already home to various cultures when both the English and French came to Canada. He got very upset with me until I showed him the page of the Canadian Citizenship Guide (that we were to study for the test) that stated exactly what I had just said. Power to the People!