Cws EDITOR JEREMY SALLY THE VOICE, THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 20012 2 Dose of caution urged on flu shot UBC neuroscientist among group of experts who question the safety and strength of vaccines as students get jabbed By KEVIN HAMPSON convenient clinic wasn’t enough A: entice some students to get a u shot after two vaccines were temporarily suspended for a_ safety check. The clinic, part of a vaccination cam- paign by student health services, came as Health Canada advised a hold on the use of two Novartis flu vaccinations, Agriflu and Fluad, after clumping par- ticles were found in samples in Italy. Although the clumping of protein particles in vaccines is common, the sample in Italy had more clumping than usual. Health Canada lifted the hold last Wednesday after reviewing the vac- cines. The vaccination administered by student health was Vaxigrip, the main flu vaccine administered by public health providers throughout B.C. this year. r4 4 The hold could make an already The levels wary public even more reluctant to of [mercu roll up _ their ry] in vac- sleeves. cines are Only 36 per cent . of Canadians got minute and fiw shots last year, have not according to an Ip- sos-Reid survey been shown conducted spring to cause 1 harm It’s just the doubt; not wanting to take the risk,” said Damian San- doval, a social sci- ences student who has heard flu vac- cines contain harmful chemicals. There is good reason to be cautious, said Chris Shaw, a UBC neuroscientist. Vaxigrip contains the mercury- based preservative thimerosal, an in- gredient that Shaw said could be neu- rotoxic. According to Health Canada, “The levels of [mercury] in vaccines are min- ute and have not been shown to cause harm.” “TBut] you don’t need a lot to harm the central nervous system,” Shaw said, adding that not enough studies have been done to rule out the possibil- ity of long-term harm. Shaw also said vaccinations are only marginally effective. A recent review by the Cochrane Collaboration, an international net- work of medical experts, found that vaccines prevent flu symptoms in only around six per cent of cases. Susan Kensett, a community health nurse who ran Langara’s vaccination campaign, said the shots are effective. Research indicates the current vaccine is 59 per cent effective, she said. Nursing student Reuben Calder got his shot. Health care professionals should get vaccinated to avoid infect- ing patients, he said. But he doesn’t think healthy young people outside the medical profession should bother getting a shot. Health Canada ‘Photo courtesy of OARD Sir Wilfrid Laurier Annex students hunker down for last year’s earthquake drill at the South Vancouver elementary school schools shaky in quake wake Marpole students attend high-risk schools that still await seismic funding from province, in the face of last month’s record earthquake By STEVEN CHUA lhe recent earthquake off the B.C. coast has left some Marpole lo- cals wondering if their schools are prepared for a major ground- shaker. “1 don’t think Vancouverites are ready at all in general,” said Pauline Imai, a parent whose child attends Winston Churchill Secondary. Some school buildings don’t appear to be ready for an earthquake, as 56 Vancouver schools — 42 of which are elementary — require seismic up- grades, according to data released by the B.C. Seismic Mitigation Program in September. Schools requiring upgrades need to be reconstructed or renovated to make them more durable in an earthquake, according to the Education Ministry’s seismic report. Among those buildings are Sir Win- ston Churchill Secondary and David Lloyd George Elementary, which are rated the highest risk level for struc- tural failure during an earthquake. Churchill needs upgrades to class- rooms, its auditorium and gym among others. Lloyd George requires changes to both the original structure and its new- er facilities. “It’s a great time to remind politi- cians and leaders about this issue,” Vancouver school trustee Mike Lom- bardi said. He wants the provincial government to give more funding to seismically up- grade schools. The Ministry of Education hopes to complete upgrading all its schools by 2020, but Vancouver still needs more cash for the cause. Vancouver School Board facilities manager Ernest Fanthorpe said the district is trying to meet that deadline, but “whether we will or not will be de- pendent on funding.” Fanthorpe was unable to give a fund- ing estimate, but Lombardi said an ad- ditional $850 million — which the school board asked for in October — will be necessary to ensure all 56 schools are upgraded. The board expects a response from the Education Ministry around April next year. It takes about two years for each school to get renovated or reconstruct- ed Lombardi said. The ministry was contacted for com- ment regarding earthquake upgrade funding, but failed to respond before press time. While building upgrades are one part of preparing for an earthquake, school staff point out emergency proce- dures are important as well. “We have to go through routines where we can account for everyone (during a disaster],” said Churchill sec- ondary vice-principal John Hunter Each school in the Vancouver dis- trict holds two earthquake drills a year. School emergency response teams, or SERTs, are present in schools and undergo a two-day training regimen under the supervision of a_ local firefighter, according to Vancouver School Board spokesman Kurt Hein- rich. The schools also sport emergency bins, which contain food and supplies to sustain students and staff for about 72 hours, according to Heinrich. RATING the risks Ho Churchill and McBride are rated by the province as High 1 (H1) MH structures are at highest risk of widespread dam- age or structural failure ME 152 schools in the province have at least one high-risk structure on their grounds ME the province has spent over $840 million in seismic retrofitting up- grades since 2001 B.C. Ministry of Education No cash for college this Christmas Expansions By GILLIAN HAMES f or new angara has cleared a significant Science and Lise in its planned expansion +7 project, but cannot proceed further Arts fe acilt- until the provincial government forks ties OK’d over the cash. . Zoning amendments for two new by city but buildings were approved at a city hall shovels hearing on Oct. 30, but the college is ° now waiting for approval from the may not hit province, the ground “We've done a lot of work to be . ready,” said Roy Daykin, vice-president until B.C. of administration and finance at Langa- gover nment ra. “When the government says ‘let’s go’, we'll move fairly quickly.” g rants cash The completed project will provide next year students with a new science and stu- dent services building and a creative arts building, as well as upgrades to Building A. The current plans for ex- pansion have been in the works for three or four years, according to Daykin. He said the project is expected to cost an estimated $200 million. Daykin isn’t sur- prised the govern- ment hasn’t yet given its approval. “You've got 25 in- stitutions all want- ing a piece of that pie,” he said. For example, the Research Universi- ties’ Council of B.C., representing six universities, re- cently lobbied the government for $130 million for various projects, scholar- ROY DAYKIN VP of Langara’s admin & finance ships and research. Langara is part of B.C. Colleges, which represents 11 public community colleges in British Columbia. These conglomerates help colleges communi- cate their needs to the government. “It gives you a more co-ordinated, louder voice,” Daykin said. Daykin would not speculate on ex- actly when the college might get ap- proval for funding. However, he does not believe that the college will see any money until after the provincial elec- tion in May 2018. The B.C. Liberal budget plan intends to cut post-secondary education fund- ing by one per cent, next year. “Tm optimistic that we will get the funding someday,” Daykin said. “But if you are expecting it under the tree this year, youre going to be disappointed.”