THUNDER BAY -- Measles vaccination rates at Thunder Bay schools are above the provincial average.
According to Diana Gowanlock, manager of infectious diseases at the Thunder Bay District Health Unit, 97.74 per cent of students attending local elementary and secondary schools in 2013 were up to date with their measles shots, more than two per cent higher than the rest of Ontario.
“We usually fluctuate between 97 and 98 per cent,” Gowanlock said on Friday.
She’s not sure why Thunder Bay parents have more faith in the vaccination process than other jurisdictions.
But it’s good news, Gowanlock said.
“Historically that has been the trend in our area that we do have a higher uptake with immunizations.”
While no cases of measles have emerged in Thunder Bay from the most recent outbreak, at least 17 cases in Ontario alone have been confirmed.
The measles vaccination, a two-part series of shots, also protects against rubella and the mumps.
The more people who have their shots, the less likely it is outbreaks of the diseases will erupt. The national goal is to ensure 95 per cent coverage.
“Provincially the province actually has a higher target rate of 99 per cent they’d like to achieve eventually,” Gowenlock said.
Students in Ontario are required to have their measles, mumps and rubella shots up-to-date in order to attend school.
However, parents can opt out for a variety of reasons, including religious objections and health concerns. Opting out isn’t easy. They must meet with health officials to explain their position and the paperwork must be notarized.
Should an outbreak at a school, students without vaccinations would have to stay home, Gowanlock said.
“Those children would be removed from the school at that time. They wouldn’t be allowed to attend.”
Gowanlock added the recent outbreak and its surrounding media attention has convinced several anti-vaccination parents to rescind their exemptions and have their children inoculated.
