Health experts warn vaccine-preventable illnesses could rise in Alberta – CBC
Routine childhood vaccinations have dwindled during the pandemic
Sep 13, 2022
Pandemic-related delays in routine childhood immunization rates are prompting concerns about the possible resurgence of vaccine-preventable illnesses in Alberta.
New York declared a state disaster emergency late last week as it scrambled to contain the polio virus, which has turned up in wastewater.
Alberta’s chief medical officer of health, Dr. Deena Hinshaw, recently called on Albertans to ensure their vaccinations are up-to-date, warning diseases can be imported easily and spread quickly through the population, particularly in communities with lower immunization rates.
“The COVID-19 pandemic has interrupted routine childhood immunization schedules worldwide, leaving many at higher risk of vaccine-preventable diseases such as polio and measles,” she said in a tweet.
The latest available provincial statistics show the percentage of Alberta children up-to-date (with four doses) of the shots containing the polio vaccine, by the age of two, dropped from 78.82 per cent in 2019 to 74.77 per cent last year.
