Parents are being urged by the provincial government to use the last week of summer vacation to ensure their kids’ vaccinations rates are up to date.
Making sure children have all their recommended shots is vital with the return-to-school right around the corner, provincial officials say.
“Children will soon start to gather in schools or child care spaces, and they will interact with more people from outside of their households. This means they will be more exposed to various infectious diseases,” Dr. Martin Lavoie, deputy provincial health officer, said this week.
“Particularly this year, as we are seeing significant increases in measles cases in the province and across Canada, August is the perfect time to check whether your children’s immunization records are up to date and to book an appointment for any outstanding vaccinations,” Lavoie said.
“Getting your children vaccinated is the best way to protect them from vaccine-preventable illnesses that can cause serious illness, long-term disability, and even death,” he said.
While the overall rate of up-to-date full vaccination coverage for B.C. children aged seven and up is 65.6 per cent, the rate varies considerably across the province.
In the Okanagan, just 60 per cent of children are fully vaccinated, the second-lowest rate in B.C., ahead of only the Kootenay-Boundary region at 54 per cent. The highest rate, at 75.6 per cent, is in the northern half of the Northern Health region.
Overall vaccination rates have been on a downward trend, alarming health professionals. For example, the provincial rate was 72.5 per cent just four years ago.
In the Okanagan, the rate was 72.3 per cent in 2013, meaning the rate has fallen 12 points in the past decade.
Free vaccinations to protect children from more than a dozen illnesses, such as polio, measles, chickenpox, influenza and COVID-19, are available at health units, and some doctors’ offices and pharmacies.
To check your child’s immunization records, see healthgateway.gov.bc.ca