A growing number of Canadian parents say they are opposed to vaccinating their children, according to a new poll, amid a resurgence in potentially deadly diseases such as measles.
The opinion poll, released Wednesday by the Angus Reid Institute, comes as public health officials try to catch up on routine vaccinations among children after a drop off during the pandemic.
Among survey respondents, 17 per cent of parents of minors said they are “really against” vaccinating their kids, compared with four per cent in 2019. A majority, 67 per cent, said they would vaccinate their child “without reservation,” down from five years prior. Another 16 per cent said they weren’t sure.
An increased number of parents also said they were opposed to mandatory vaccination in school, which is a policy in place in Ontario and New Brunswick. Opposition to this idea climbed from 24 per cent to 38 per cent between 2019 and 2024.
The pandemic likely led to increased skepticism among some Canadians about vaccination, according to Caroline Quach-Thanh, a pediatric infectious diseases specialist at Montreal’s Sainte-Justine Hospital.
Dr. Caroline Quach-Thanh, a microbiologist and pediatric infectious disease specialist, says people may not understand the risk of diseases like measles because vaccines have been so successful at minimizing transmission.
She said programs where parents can meet with a health provider and ask questions can help address any concerns.
“I think it’s through discussion that people can change their mind,” she told CBC News.
She stressed that routine vaccinations are safe and effective, and that failing to get protection against diseases such as measles can have grave consequences, not just for one’s own children but for other vulnerable individuals who aren’t eligible to get immunized.
Public health officials across the country have been working to get Canadian children back up to date on immunizations, after routine childhood vaccinations fell during the pandemic.
In 2021, nearly 300,000 children had missed or delayed routine immunizations, according to a survey by 19 to Zero, a not-for-profit coalition of medical and public health experts that facilitates vaccination.
Explosion of measles cases
Measles cases have recently spiked in Europe, as well as parts of the United States.
Experts have raised concern Canada…
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