To be more concise, Ontario and New Brunswick provinces require that children be immunized for diphtheria, tetanus, polio, measles, mumps, and rubella. Manitoba Province only requires that children be immunized for measles. But even with these laws in place, there are exemptions allowed. They include medical and religious grounds as well as matters of conscience. And, to be sure that citizens understand the regulations fully, Health Canada’s Immunization Statement also says that these regulations covering the three provinces do not imply compulsory immunization.
Toronto’s Public health officials are now getting worried because, on Jan. 2, four cases of measles were confirmed, two in children under the age of 2-years, and in two adults from different families. Health officials are saying no source case has been identified and there were no links between the four cases.
There is fear that the measles outbreak in the United States could spread, especially after the latest warnings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Director Tom Frieden was on CBS’s “Face the Nation” on Sunday. He emphasized, “We are very concerned by the growing number of people who are susceptible to measles, and the possibility that we could have a large outbreak in this country as a result.”
Herd Immunity protects everyone
Toronto Health officials are saying a 95 percent immunization rate is needed to provide a protective “herd immunity” in the population. “We know that vaccines are very safe, and well over 95 percent of parents [in Canada] get their children vaccinated with benefit and little harm,” Dr. Vinita Dubey told CBC Radio’s Matt Galloway on Metro Morning.
Global News did a survey of Toronto schools last year using 2012 rates of immunization for the MMR vaccine. Surprisingly, to many health officials, the results were not what they expected. Global News found a wide disparity in the immunization rates at many of the schools, with one school having an MMR vaccination rate of only 43.75 percent. Many more schools were far below the 95 percent “herd immunity” rate, a level where enough people are immunized to protect everyone.
During the 2011-12 school year, just over 3,000 students were suspended from school until they either provided proof of immunization, were vaccinated or filed an exemption. Less than 2.0 percent returned with an exemption. The Public Health Agency of Canada says that the MMR uptake for Canada is at 95 percent compliance with immunizations in children. But UNICEF put Canada near the bottom of the list of industrialized nations in 2013 with a compliance rate of only 84 percent.
So just how troubling are the questionable loopholes in the Health Canada Immunization Statement? It apparently isn’t as bad as some may think. Dr. John Spika, director general of the public health agency’s center for immunization and respiratory infectious diseases does say the “herd immunity” rate for measles should be 95 percent, but he doesn’t think there is an anti-vaccine movement in Canada. Citing Toronto’s vaccination rates, Spika said, “That’s troubling to me if you were telling me it was for all of Toronto.”
With each province making their own regulations regarding vaccinations, there is a patchwork of policies, all of them just a little bit different from each other. Depending on which province’s health official you ask about MMR vaccination rates, you will get answers varying from 80 percent to 90 percent or above. For further information on immunizations in Canada, one can go to the following site: Public Health Agency of Canada website.
