Opinion: Vaccines save lives—so why are we letting our guard down?
When fewer of our kids–and ourselves as adults–are vaccinated, the risk of every one of those once conquered diseases returning rises
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Measles is spreading and we need to protect our families from its negative effects.
Last week’s report from Public Health Ontario said there are 2,083 cases of measles in the province. This compares to 10 cases a year between 2013 and 2023. Then suddenly last year, there were 64 cases. Now, Ontario is facing the worst measles outbreak since the disease was virtually eliminated in Canada in 1998.
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Where are these cases coming from?
“The sharp increase in the number of outbreak cases and the geographic spread in recent weeks is owing to continued exposures and transmission among individuals who have not been immunized,” the public health report says.
Up until the COVID pandemic, 94 per cent of seven year olds in Ontario were fully vaccinated against measles. But by last year, this had fallen to 70 per cent. This drop significantly heightens the risk of measles, a disease that can have severe health consequences such as respiratory failure, central nervous system infections, and even death. Furthermore, long-term complications like blindness, deafness, and brain injury can result from measles.
The threat extends beyond measles to other vaccine-preventable diseases, such as RSV, flu, and pneumonia, which can have devastating health impacts on our most vulnerable Canadians, including infants, children, older adults, and those living with chronic diseases affecting their immune systems.
Often, diseases like smallpox, scarlet fever, and polio, which have been largely eradicated, are underestimated. Because they are no longer visible threats, it’s easy to forget the severe and costly treatments required for those infected.
But you don’t need to be an infectious disease doctor to believe in the power of vaccines to make our world a healthier place. Vaccines have vastly reduced mumps, rubella, diphtheria, measles, and polio, and eradicated smallpox since 1980. When fewer of our kids—and ourselves as adults—are vaccinated, the risk of every one of those once conquered diseases returning rises steeply.
There are two added problems when old diseases rise anew:
- They create a significant cost to our healthcare system.,
- We don’t know how the disease will behave in its newest form.
This happened with COVID; it happens every year with the flu, which is why vaccine adaptation with the expected circulating strain needs to be created annually to fight it.
It’s easy to say that lower vaccination rates and higher measles rates are the victims of anti-vaxxers. But the number of Canadian anti-vaxxers is small.
A larger group—almost a quarter of Canadians—are ‘vaccine-skeptics.’
Many of them have questions about the safety of vaccines. Or they distrust some of our institutions and the information they’ve shared. Or they’re fatigued by many years of vaccine communications and recommendations.
Likewise, many Canadians are unclear about what immunizations they should have or when. Often, parents don’t know their child’s immunization schedule, especially with second or third kids or after their child’s first year. Similarly, they don’t know if they can ever catch up if they forget a dose (in most cases, the answer is ‘yes’).
Practical obstacles such as the accessibility, convenience, and affordability of vaccines greatly impact vaccination rates. To address hesitancy, reframing discussions around vaccines is crucial. We must listen to concerns, provide credible information from trusted sources, and respond supportively.
As healthcare professionals we need to take the time to explain exactly what the risks and benefits of vaccination are. This is because the science around vaccines—whether they are pediatric, seasonal or other—deserves to be discussed between patients and their healthcare professional. Hesitancy often disappears when exposed to the light of credible information.
Real, informed conversations about vaccine safety and efficacy are vital. These dialogues, while time-consuming, are essential to overcoming hesitancy and safeguarding public health. The stakes are high; hence, investing in vaccine awareness and trust is a crucial priority for ensuring a healthy future for all Canadians.
Dr. Ana Gabriela Grajales is a pediatric infectious disease specialist and Medical Affairs Lead, Primary Care & Hospital, at Pfizer Canada.
