Low kindergarten vaccination rates a public health concern

UBC researchers have found that some of the lowest vaccination rates among kindergarten students were found in North Vancouver and West Vancouver, CBC reported.

Researchers found most schools do not have immunization rates of 90 per cent, which is generally needed for “herd immunity,” said study author and UBC researcher Julie Bettinger.

Herd immunity means that a disease is unlikely to spread because enough people in a community have been vaccinated.

“For parents … I would hope that it maybe shakes their complacency a little bit,” she said. “If I’m at a school where the coverage is coming in at 60 per cent, if someone brings measles into my school, my kid may not be protected if he’s not gotten the vaccine.”

Similar stories also appeared on Global, CTV, CKNW, Metro News, News 1130Medical Xpress and Indo-Canadian Voice.