Canada warns many children are missing their measles vaccinations due to the Covid-19 pandemic

Canada: Nhiều trẻ em ở thủ đô Ottawa nhỡ lịch tiêm phòng sởi định kỳ do đại dịch Covid-19

Children in Canada receive Covid-19 vaccinations. (Source: CBC)

The figures are updated based on vaccine supply orders the agency receives from health care providers administering the shots.

The latest figures show that orders for the MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps and rubella, as well as the MMR-V vaccine, which protects against the three diseases plus chickenpox, have fallen by about 30% compared to pre-Covid-19 levels.

“Based on vaccine distribution data, we estimate that approximately 15,000 children in Ottawa missed a dose of MMR or MMR-V between 2020 and 2022,” Ottawa Public Health said.

The concern is that many children are not fully vaccinated, meaning they will not be protected against the disease even if the vaccine is available, said Marie-Claude Turcotte, immunization manager at Ottawa Public Health.

Public health officials have warned that falling vaccine coverage will increase the risk of measles outbreaks in the capital because the disease is highly contagious.

For measles or whooping cough, every child vaccinated makes a difference, says Dr. Kumanan Wilson, a medical doctor at the University of Ottawa.

These are highly contagious viruses that require high levels of vaccine coverage. Even a small reduction in vaccine coverage can lead to outbreaks.

Ottawa Public Health says it has expanded routine immunizations at community clinics or health care centres.

Parents who do not have a family doctor or health care provider can make an appointment online at any nearest clinic to vaccinate their children.

Measles is a highly contagious disease that affected most of the world's children until the introduction of a vaccine in the 1960s.

Measles remains the leading cause of death in children who are not vaccinated.