Which Vancouver-area schools have the lowest measles vaccination rate?
Vancouver Coastal Health releases latest vaccination figures
Explore the map to see which schools that report to the Vancouver Coastal Health authority are above and below the 95 per cent herd immunity level for measles vaccination rates.
Legend:
Red markers = schools with 0 to 55 per cent measles vaccination rates
Yellow markers = schools with 56 to 75 per cent measles vaccination rates
Blue circle = schools with 76 to 94 per cent measles vaccination rates
Green circles = schools with 95 per cent-plus measles vaccination rate rates
No mandatory vaccines, province says
Only about 73 per cent of school children have completed all of their recommended immunizations, according to new data released by VCH.
But VCH medical health officer Dr. Meena Dawar says this less- than-ideal rate isn't because of so-called anti-vaccers
She says the main problem is that parents are not getting their child the second dose when two shots are required, such as is the case for mumps and measles.
"What is really important for you as a parent is to look at the immunization record of your child and if you don't know, have a conversation with public health or your doctor and let's get those kids immunized."
Provincial Health Minister Terry Lake says making vaccines mandatory is not the solution, even though B.C. experienced the largest measles outbreak in decades just last year. The outbreak initially began after dozens of cases were reported at a Christian School in Chilliwack with a low vaccination rate and the school was temporarily closed.
"Mandatory vaccinations, which I have discussed, do not appear to increase the response because there are objections on religious grounds or conscious objectors," Lake said.
Cherry-picking vaccines
The data also shows an increasing number of parents cherry-picking the protection they want for their children. Explore the vaccination rate at your school or vaccination type for kindergarten, grade 6 and grade 9 students.
The HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine, which protects girls against several cancers caused by HPV infection, is one vaccine that is slowly being adopted by families. The coverage rate for 2013/14 was 64 per cent for girls in grade six and 78 per cent for those in grade nine — the lowest rate of all recommended vaccines.