During the COVID-19 pandemic, some children across the country did not receive routine immunizations, and some states saw immunization rates drop by several percentage points.
Pediatricians and other health officials are concerned about a decline in routine immunization as cases of polio, a vaccine-preventable disease, emerge in other parts of the world. says.
Dr. Sloane Freeman, a pediatrician, said, "As we move forward through the pandemic, we must ensure that children maintain and receive routine immunizations that have been taken for granted. We have to really focus on doing it.” He received his doctorate from St. Michaels Hospital and is an assistant professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Toronto.
Some experts say there are several possible reasons why someone does not get vaccinated, but they do not believe hesitation is the main reason. Those who spoke to CBC News suspect school closures during the pandemic, the redeployment of public health resources and staff, and greater focus on a COVID-19 vaccine may be behind the drop.
British Her Julie Bettinger of Columbia University said: She is a professor of pediatrics and a vaccine safety scientist at the Vaccine Evaluation Center in BC.
See | 100 people may have polio in New York State, officials say: New York state health officials say hundreds of people may be infected with the polio virus.
Declining vaccination coverage
Pediatricians across Canada see more unvaccinated children than usual this time of year. said.
Just this week, her Dr. Fatima Kakkar, an infectious disease pediatrician and professor of pediatrics at the University of Montreal, examined children who had never been vaccinated against tetanus. "It's amazing to see how many people are unprotected," she says.
"For the most part, it is the younger children who have missed regular appointments during the peak of the pandemic and have not been able to catch up."
Recent data provided by government officials in Alberta and Saskatchewan is declining.
Albertasaw a decline in most vaccination coverage compared to 2020. Among them are her second dose of measles, mumps and rubella vaccines.
In Saskatchewan,June 2021 data show reduced immunization coverage compared to data through June this year. between 2 year olds. In June 2021, her 76.4% of her 2-year-olds were vaccinated against pertussis in her four doses ; Only 73.4% of her
State 7-year-old whooping cough vaccination rates also declined over the same period.
While the drop in vaccination coverage may not sound like much, one pediatrician said the change was significant.
"You actually see hundreds of children who are unvaccinated or unvaccinated. , can make a big difference in terms of seeing some of the diseases you shouldn't be seeing, says Dr. Aisha Kurzi, Saskatoon pediatrician and assistant professor at the University of Saskatchewan.
Freeman said he sees "very low" coverage of school-based immunization programs in Ontario.
The number of 12-year-old Ontario children immunized against meningococcal complex (MCV4), human papillomavirus (HPV), and hepatitis B in schools is Significantly decreased from the 2019-2020 school year to the 2020-2021 school year.
In the 2019-2020 school year, approximately 70% of 12-year-olds began but did not complete their HPV vaccination series. That coverage dropped to about 20% in the following grades.
"We need to make sure they catch up, that these immunization programs continue and have adequate resources to move forward," said Dr. Freeman of Ontario. said Wednesday at an online media event hosted by the association.
Reason for disembarkation.
Last month, UNICEF nearly 25 million children worldwide do not receive routine immunizations against common childhood diseases. calling it the "red disease." Pay attention to children's health.”
According to Bettinger, school-aged children in Canada, who typically receive routine immunizations at school, were most affected. However, immunization did not always occur as the pandemic affected deployments in schools.
"She probably has children for at least two years who could not have had these vaccines," she said.
She added that her COVID-19 immunization program, which has been rolled out across the country, is also demanding a lot from the system.
“The resources required have been daunting, to be honest. A lot of public health work is under-resourced," she said.
A spokesperson for Quebec said nurses were redeployed for COVID-19 vaccinations, school closures were part of the pandemic, and regular school attendance was absent due to the outbreak. He said fewer vaccines were distributed globally.
However, local health officials added that in 2020 and she is trying to catch up with students who were not vaccinated at school in 2021.
Government spokespeople for Ontario and Manitoba said: Redeployment of public health staff during the pandemic also impacted data collection.
Freeman says his family also did not have access to the pre-pandemic health care system.
Some parents have postponed routine immunizations due to concerns about interactions with the COVID-19 vaccine, he said. So parents should address their concerns with their health care providers, she says.
"If you have any questions, be sure to ask...anyone doing vaccines please tell me what to do and how I can help answer your questions and all your fears." ' she said.
Bettinger said that for years, public health officials in Canada have not vaccinated enough children against diseases such as measles and polio. She added that she has struggled to get her to accept it.
According to the latest available 2017 federal dataall of the states and territories have I couldn't achieve the vaccination goal of the country. About routine immunization of children.
However, Bettinger cautions not to attribute the low vaccination rates of some children to vaccine reluctance. It may exist, but its proportion is small compared to those who might not have had their children vaccinated because of access.
"The pandemic has really disrupted services," she said.
"We know there is mounting evidence that the easier it is for parents to vaccinate their children, the more likely they are to be vaccinated."
COVID-19 Vaccines
As families prepare for schools to reopen in the coming weeks, Freeman also wants parents to consider vaccinating their children against COVID-19. thinking about.
Commonwealth Figures showed that her 42.44% of children aged 5 to 11 had primary series I have completed Nearly 19% of the 12-17 year old group completed the primary series and received a booster.
"If[the number of people infected with COVID-19] goes up, we really want to protect our children," Freeman said. .
How can more children be vaccinated?
Freeman said the public health sector needs to think of creative solutions to administering routine vaccines, especially those who are underserved or marginalized. to reach people.
According to Freeman and Bettinger, school-based immunizations are recommended because children are already in school and much easier to access, so make it easier. is important.
"The easier it is, the more likely people are to do it," says Bettinger.