Immunization Week
National Immunization Awareness Week April 22-29, 2017
Vaccinations have been saving lives for more than two centuries and are generally considered the most successful public health intervention ever devised. The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that vaccines prevent more than two million deaths worldwide every year. Immunization prevents many communicable diseases.
There have been a number of recent measles outbreaks in Canada. Many of these outbreaks are linked to a decrease in the number of children receiving vaccinations. Measles is a highly contagious virus that is spread through the air. The measles virus is so contagious that if one person has it, 90% of the people near that person, who are not immune, will also become infected. One in 10 people with measles develops pneumonia and/or ear infections. One in 10,000 people experiences an infection of the brain called encephalitis. One in 3,000 people who contracts measles will die.
Available information that is based in theory and not evidence has led to a significant amount of unwarranted worry about vaccine safety among parents. Theory-based information is not based on facts or credible research evidence. This type of information has led to myths surrounding the risk of immunizations. As a result, some parents are hesitant to immunize their children, or they may delay or refuse vaccinations for their children.