Beliefs against vaccination appear to have little impact in New Brunswick, despite recent outbreaks of measles and whooping cough. Immunization rates for students in the province remain stable.
The Ministry of Health declared a whooping cough outbreak in August across the province and then a measles outbreak on November 1 in Zone 3 (Fredericton and the Valley).
“We know that higher vaccination rates for each preventable disease decrease the likelihood of epidemics occurring,” says ministry communications officer Sean Hatchard.
However, there appears to be no link between the evolution of the vaccination rate of students in the province and these outbreaks.
Few objections
Children entering preschool in New Brunswick must provide proof of immunization against the following diseases: diphtheria, tetanus, polio, whooping cough, measles, rubella, mumps, chickenpox and meningococcal infection.
The percentage of those who met immunization requirements was 72% during the 2023-2024 school year. It was 74% a year earlier, but 60% three years before, according to the Ministry of Health.
The overall rate of parental objections was 0.2% in 2023-2024, a roughly stable statistic since 2020-2021.
Concerning measles, 91% of kindergarten students had an up-to-date vaccination in 2023-2024. Just over half of the others had missed their last dose.
Concerning whooping cough, 77% of kindergarten students had an up-to-date vaccination in 2023-2024. Most of the others had missed their booster dose by age 4.
The Ministry of Health is also implementing immunization programs for 7th grade students.
The percentage of those who had received the whooping cough vaccine in 2023-2024 was 78%. It was 83% the previous school year and 87% three years before.
The rate was particularly high in zone 6 (Bathurst and Acadian Peninsula) in 2023-2024: 86%. However, it was in the latter that the whooping cough outbreak began in June.
Worrying beliefs
Beliefs opposed to vaccines, circulating on the internet in particular, nevertheless worry health authorities in New Brunswick.
Vitalité Health Network and New Brunswick Public Health are participating in Together Against Disinformation Week which is being held from November 12 to 17, for example.
“Misinformation poses a real danger to the health of our communities. It is essential to provide the population with verified and reliable information to help them make informed decisions,” declared the CEO of the authority, France Desrosiers.
Meanwhile, Alberta’s Conservative government is proposing to amend its province’s Charter of Rights in the name of freedom, including the right to not be forced to receive a vaccine.
