In the wake of B.C.'s recent measles outbreak, the provincial government is giving students another chance to get immunized at school.
Beginning after spring break, immunization clinics will be offered to students from kindergarten to Grade 12 who haven't received the measles vaccine, or only ever received their first dose.
"It's our expectation as part of this campaign that every child who's not immunized in B.C., or under-immunized, will have the opportunity to be immunized," Health Minister Adrian Dix said Wednesday.
To achieve that goal, the government is buying $3 million worth of vaccines, doubling the 120,000-odd doses that are usually made available in the average school year.
The intention is to help bring B.C. closer to what's known as herd immunity, which is defined as a 95 per cent vaccination rate. Once herd immunity is reach, it becomes much more difficult for potentially deadly diseases such as measles to spread.
Unfortunately, immunization rates in B.C. have been falling in recent years. Dix noted that only 82 per cent of seven-year-olds in the province were up to date on their measles immunizations in 2018, down from 91 per cent just five years prior.
"We need to take action now to raise the overall level of immunization to make sure all British Columbians are protected," the minister said.
Individual health authorities will be implementing the program, through clinics in school, public health units, community health centres, and mobile community clinics in some regions. Pharmacists will also be assisting in the effort.
Dix said he believes "very few" people in the province are actually anti-vaccine, but that many busy parents simply forget to immunize their children, especially when it comes to the second dose of the measles vaccine.
But as measles outbreaks continue popping up around the world, the need for herd immunity is greater than ever, according to the minister.
"Given the global situation, we can expect in the future that there can be more imported cases in B.C.," he said.
The government has previously proposed a mandatory vaccination reporting system, which could be in place at schools across B.C. by September.
It would be similar to the one already in place at Ontario schools, where parents must provide proof their child has been vaccinated before enrolling them in school. If they want an exemption, Ontario parents must first attend an information session on the dangers of not vaccinating.
The registration was implemented in 2014, and as of the 2016-17 school year more than 91 per cent of seven-year-olds had received the measles vaccine.
Measles is a highly contagious virus that can sometimes cause severe complications, including brain inflammation, convulsions, deafness and brain damage.
Fatal infections are rare in Canada, but do occur about once in every 500 to 3,000 cases, according to health officials.
The virus has an incubation period of about up to 21 days, meaning it can take that long for symptoms such as fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes to show. Anyone who is unsure about their immunization status is advised to call their doctor.
