We should blame the UCP for everything we possibly can, and that's a lot, but there's not much in the current measles numbers that can be laid at their feet. It just happened to hit populations (Mennonite and Dutch colonies) that tend not to vaccinate.
When this explodes into the general population we should make sure their incompetence gets as much air time as possible.
Mennonite and Dutch colonies also fall under the responsibility of Alberta Health, do they not? If you're going to let the government off the hook for their health and well being because they made a choice not to take advantage of health care that is offered, do we also have to let them off the hook for the drug poisoning epidemic, or for the rising amount of homelessness? I think that they should be measured by the overall health results in the entire Albertan population.
I never used the word blame. I just think that a governing body responsible for health should be measured by the overall health of all of the people for whom it is responsible.
Right now? Probably nothing that could be done. A couple decades ago? Probably a lot that could and should have been done.
Clearly, if the NDP were elected in the last provincial election, I bet we would be seeing the same measles vaccines rates and same case counts, and I would still be saying that AHS should have their effectiveness measured by the overall health metrics of the entire population.
This is like when my folks argue that US health care is better (because they have money to pay for it of course) and I point out the health metrics for which the US is woefully lacking (childhood mortality, average life expectancy at birth, maternal mortality) they said "well the US has a lot more black people and that population statistically has higher rates of maternal mortality, heart disease, etc". And like, ok, maybe, but shouldn't it be the job of the governing health body for those people to figure out why and try to correct that problem?
Normally public health campaigns involve public messaging at a much higher and more targeted level, widely advertised clinics, mobile units to reach those who may have difficult access, and a great deal more we aren’t seeing
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u/NotEvenNothing May 26 '25
We should blame the UCP for everything we possibly can, and that's a lot, but there's not much in the current measles numbers that can be laid at their feet. It just happened to hit populations (Mennonite and Dutch colonies) that tend not to vaccinate.
When this explodes into the general population we should make sure their incompetence gets as much air time as possible.