WATCH ABOVE: There’s now six confirmed cases of measles in Toronto. Marianne Dimain reports.
TORONTO – Toronto Public Health is stepping up its fight to get children vaccinated Friday.
The health agency sent a letter to all parents of children at Toronto schools about the importance of vaccinations, after six Torontonians were diagnosed with the measles since Monday.
The letter notes that most Toronto schools have high-vaccination rates but warns that unvaccinated kids could be barred from school should an outbreak occur.
“If a measles exposure occurs in a school, students with incomplete vaccination, or an exemption from receiving the vaccine, will not be allowed to attend school until the outbreak is over,” the letter reads, noting that once the children are fully vaccinated they could return to school.
READ MORE: 20% of people polled still think vaccines could cause autism
At least four of the six people diagnosed with measles were not fully vaccinated, according to Toronto Public Health. The health agency also hasn’t found a source of the disease and said none of the patients had recently travelled.
Vaccination rates at Toronto schools are generally high, but a Global News investigation found some schools are far below the herd immunity rate of 95 per cent. At least one school, according to data obtained from Toronto Public Health, had a vaccination rate of just 43.75 per cent during the 2011-2012 school year.
A Mainstreet Technologies poll released Friday found that 58 per cent of the 3,022 people polled think parents should not have a say in whether their children are vaccinated. Seventy-seven per cent of respondents want child care facilities to refuse unvaccinated children, according to the poll.
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