WATCH: Are B.C.’s immunization rates good enough to prevent the spread of preventable diseases?
Vancouver Coastal Health says the majority of parents are still choosing to immunize their children.
The data provided by Vancouver Coastal Health to Global News shows at least 73 per cent of school children have completed all of their recommended immunizations.
“For some vaccines that number is as high as 93 per cent,” says Tiffany Akins with Vancouver Coast Health. “We’re also seeing an increasing number of parents cherry-picking the protection they want for their children.”
The HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine is one shot with a slow uptake.
The coverage rate for 2013/14 was 64 per cent for girls in Grade 6 and 78 per cent for those in Grade 9. These numbers are substantially lower than the uptake rates for other recommended vaccines, such as Varicella and Tdap (tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis).
Coastal Health also reports a drop in coverage for vaccines that require a series of shots, but kindergarten immunization rates are increasing.
The health authority says a small percentage of children have no immunizations on record.
The data for 2013/14 shows five per cent of kindergarten students, three per cent of Grade 6 students and two per cent of Grade 9 students are either completely unimmunized or have been immunized but their records have not been provided to Vancouver Coastal Health.
NOTE: Xit’olacw Community School in Howe Sound and Xwemelch’stn Etsimxwawtxw School in West Vancouver do not have complete data as immunization occurs through reserve providers.
Immunization rates by school age
Immunization rates by school and region
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