Each country participating in the Vancouver Winter Olympics will have to made a decision. Will they make the swine flu vaccination mandatory?
Dr. Bob McCormack is the team doctor for the Canadian Olympians. He considers the athletes to be a high risk group. That is understandable considering the exposure to very public venues and to other international athletes.
The Canadian Olympians will make a personal decision as to whether have the vaccination or not. One of the stars of the Canadian women’s hockey team will not be taking the vaccination:
“… Hockey team veteran Hayley Wickenheiser of Shaunavon, Sask., is one who’s not interested.
“We’ve been given the option to get the flu shot and the H1N1, but we’ve not really been told to get it or not get it,” she said. “It’s a personal choice and I choose not to get it.”
link: Swine flu a threat to Canada’s performance
The medical staff of Olympic delegations usually have a full schedule tending to the injuries of their country’s athletes. Now, with swine flu concerns, the medical staff will be watching for any illness among the international athletes. The medical duties have multiplied significantly.
Catherine Forsythe
[Photo Illustration by Scott Olson/Getty Images]
[...] the moment, some Olympic athletes are being given the discretion of whether to have the flu shot or not. That stance may be re-examined in light of the tragedy of a young thirteen year old hockey player [...]
the H1N1 or Swine Flu virus did put our country in disarray for quite sometime, it is good to know that at least it did not cause so many deaths.
One of my sisters got infected with H1N1 or more commonly known as Swine Flu. Fortunately, she did not have very high fever and she was able to recover fast .
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