Vaccination tracking could make it easier to track kids without vaccinations
Posted February 17, 2019 6:04 pm.
Last Updated February 17, 2019 6:12 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – As Vancouver deals with a measles outbreak, Provincial Health Officer Bonnie Henry is offering up recommendations on vaccination tracking.
While some are calling for mandatory vaccinations, Henry says it’s better to educate parents rather than force their hand.
“I don’t think requiring people to be immunized works, and there’s lots of evidence that shows it actually alienates people who have questions about immunization,” she says.
She recommends: “The mandatory reporting of immunization status on school entry and nursery or daycare entry, so that we have an opportunity to catch children up.”
Henry says by doing so, it’s easier to track children without immunizations, and can help educate parents.
She says some parents are hesitant to vaccinate their kids due to their own fears over pain and side effects.
“There’s a lot of misinformation out there, particularly about the measles, mumps, and rubella vaccine and autism. This vaccine doesn’t cause autism. But there’s still a lot of misinformation,” she says.
