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By Dylana Kneeshaw

DECLINING VACCINATION RATES

Interior Health encouraging parents to get children caught up with routine immunizations

Feb 16, 2024 | 5:30 PM

KAMLOOPS — The Interior Health Authority (IH) is responding to concerning new data showing immunization rates for young children have dropped.

As of the end of 2023, IH says 56.3 per cent of seven-year-olds in the health region were immunized, which is below the target of 70 per cent necessary to prevent disease transmission. While the rate for two-year-olds is 68.5 per cent, also below the 90 per cent immunization target for that age group.

“What’s happened everywhere in B.C. is that we’re leading Canada, but we’re not as good as we were,” B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix told CFJC.

“The concern — why we’re reaching out to people — is this hasn’t been a normal period,” he explains. “We’ve had a public health emergency around respiratory illness, COVID-19, but our core services have to continue to come, and people have got to make sure their children are immunized against the full range of diseases.”

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There’s a myriad of reasons for the decline. In some cases, it’s as simple as people forgetting to book appointments or being caught up in a busy schedule. And on the other hand, online misinformation has deterred some parents.

“I think some of the debate around COVID immunization had distracted from that,” notes Dix. “But we are really encouraging parents to get their children immunized, again, for the full range of immunizations.”

In response, Medical Health Officer Dr. Fatemeh Sabet says Interior Health is sending out reminders to people who are overdue for a vaccine and trying to provide space for people to ask questions and have access to information about the science behind immunization.

The health authority will also host extra immunization clinic sessions at community health centres, bring in Kindergarten clinics to some schools and continue providing shot clinics for Grade 10-to-12 students, allowing them to get caught up on routine immunizations they might have missed and have questions answered by public health nurses.

“In addition to that, we have mobile clinics going to different communities,” Sabet adds. “Specifically, communities that may be further away from the clinics that provide vaccination.”

IH hopes to see the rates climb back up to address a resurgence of certain illnesses that have preventative immunizations available. For instance, over the last six months, the health authority states there have been several areas within the interior that saw cases of whooping cough (pertussis), an illness that has its own vaccine designed to prevent transmission.

“In light of the increase in some communicable diseases like measles, in other countries, or polio that has been reported last year in some countries, we want to remind everyone that it is very important to get up to date with these childhood immunizations.”

To check your or your child’s immunization status, talk to your healthcare provider or local public health clinic. Click here for more information.