Complacent parents more of a threat to immunization rates than anti-vaxxers

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) – So-called anti-vaxxers are a very vocal minority, but they are not the reason behind Canada’s falling immunization rates, according to a new report from the CD Howe Institute which, instead, blames “fence-sitting” parents.

“I think the evidence is quite strong that anti-vaxxers are not the main underlying reason for why we are seeing incomplete vaccination coverage in many parts of the country,” explains Colin Busby, one of the authors of In Need of a Booster: How to Improve Childhood Vaccination Coverage in Canada.

“They’re two per cent of the population. They’re not required in order to achieve what we call herd immunity — sufficient coverage to ensure that there’s not going to be a major risk of spreading infectious diseases,” he tells NEWS 1130. “The majority reason children are not fully immunized is because of under vaccination. In a number of instances we see children will get all of their vaccines with the exception of one, or a couple of doses but not all of the doses, for example one dose of MMR instead of two.”

Busby and his colleagues say recent outbreaks of infectious diseases are stark reminders of the dangers they pose and the need for expanded vaccination coverage. “This should also cause public health officials to take pause and look at the alarming status of vaccination coverage among Canadian children,” state the authors.

He adds many parents are simply being complacent rather than showing an anti-vaccine view. “There might be some safety concerns but there are also a lot of reasons for parents to be complacent.”

Those reasons, according to the report, include the costs associated with time off work and how much effort it takes to access a provider and to get information on vaccination-related benefits and risks.

In addition, there appear to be significant misconceptions about the costs and benefits of immunization. Despite scientific evidence to the contrary, more and more parents are concerned about the risks of immunization than in the past. “This really changes the approach to how we should organize policy in order to make it a little more convenient and make parents a little less complacent,” Busby adds.

However, he believes a number of provinces already have good measures in place to lessen complacency. “In BC alone, when you look outside the Vancouver region, all vaccines are delivered by public health nurses. Within the Vancouver region they are predominantly delivered by physicians. We tend to find across the country is uptake is higher within public health nurse-led models,” he explains.

The report also finds too much attention and energy is spent trying to engage with the anti-vaccine movement.

That effort, it’s suggested, should instead be directed at pursuing voluntary approaches to overcome the reasons for incomplete childhood immunization, including targeting early interventions, like phone calls or emails, at fence-sitting parents.

It’s also recommended that provinces use electronic registries to track coverage from birth, through childcare and kindergarten, to adulthood and intervene when necessary. “With these targeted solutions, Canadian provinces will be able to better ensure that children are protected from future outbreaks,” conclude the authors.