(File photo/paNOW Staff)

By Michael Joel-Hansen

Vaccines

Canada marks immunization week

Apr 25, 2019 | 9:42 AM

It’s National Immunization Week across Canada.

National Immunization Week aims to spread awareness about the importance of vaccines to good health. For Dr. Mandiangu Nsungu, area lead medical health officer for the north with the Saskatchewan Health Authority, one fact about vaccines stands out overall.

“If we look at the past, we know in the last 60 years, immunizations have saved more lives than any other medical intervention,” he said.

Nsungu said immunizations provide people who get them the antibodies they need so they can fight off infections if they come into contact with certain viruses. When looking at specific immunizations, Dr. Nsungu said the health authority recommends people get vaccinated against a number of viruses, like rotavirus, diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough, to name a few.

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Many of the recommended vaccines are for viruses that affect kids, but there are vaccines for adults that are recommended as well, including vaccines against shingles.

“Especially when it comes to adults, many people think they are already, if I can put it that way, out of the danger when it comes to vaccine-preventable diseases, but that’s not the case,” he said.

Looking at the numbers of children who are getting immunized, Nsungu said in the central and northern areas of the province, the rate of immunization is fairly high.

“We are around 90 per cent, sometimes a little bit less than 90,” he said.

Going into the future, Nsungu explained he would like to see this rate go higher so that more people can potentially have an immunity to viruses.

“When you have big number of people who are vaccinated, that’s when you can make sure that outbreaks are very unlikely to occur,” he said.

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MichaelJoel.Hansen@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @mjhskcdn