A mandatory vaccination reporting system could be in place at schools across B.C. by September, according to the province's health minister.
Speaking at question period Tuesday, Adrian Dix confirmed the government is hoping to implement a vaccine registration model similar to the one used at Ontario schools.
Dix said the policy would apply to both public and independent schools, as recommended by provincial health officer Dr. Bonnie Henry.
"That recommendation we're following up and delivering on, and we hope to deliver on that by September of this year," Dix told the legislature.
Some parents have been calling for mandatory vaccinations in light of the province's latest measles outbreak, which has infected 13 people, but mandatory registration is a less stringent approach.
In Ontario, parents must provide proof their child has been vaccinated before enrolling them in school. If they want an exemption, the 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.
By comparison, only 82 per cent of seven-year-olds in British Columbia were up-to-date on their measles immunizations in 2018, according to a report from the B.C. Centre for Disease Control. That number has dropped from 91 per cent just five years ago.
Dix said the government takes every measles outbreak seriously, and there are currently as many as 40 students and adults excluded from particular schools because of their immunization status.
"Just to show how seriously we take this: one case of measles, which shouldn't be there, is an outbreak. Thirteen we take very seriously," Dix said.
The previous provincial health officer, Dr. Perry Kendall, also pushed for a mandatory vaccination registration system back in 2014, when an outbreak in the Fraser Valley resulted in 342 cases of the measles.
Emergency physician Afshin Khazei called the registry “a good idea,” saying it would cut down on unnecessary doses.
“We have patients here who are unsure of their vaccination status, so we have to make educated guesses about whether they need a booster,” said Dr. Khazei, who is also medical director at Vancouver Coastal Hospital's Urgent Primary Care Centre.
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.
With files from CTV Vancouver's St. John Alexander
