Health Region immunization rates lower than provincial average
Fewer people in the Prince Albert Parkland Health Region are being vaccinated compared to the rest of the province.
Medical Health Officer Dr. Khami Chokani said overall immunization rates in the province sit at around 91 per cent while the local health region rests closer to 88 per cent.
“Take measles for example. The provincial average is 75 percent but as a health region, we are at around 60 per cent,” Chokani said.
Vaccinations 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. But Chokani said ‘vaccine hesitancy’ has been created by theory-based information that leads to myths surrounding the risk of immunizations. He said some parents are reluctant to immunize their children, or may delay or refuse them altogether because of this.