[ad_1]
The mother of an eight-year-old boy in BC A girl with a compromised immune system says the measles epidemic in Vancouver is evidence of the impact of the vaccines on life or death.
Elaine Yong's daughter, Addison, had a heart transplant when she was only three weeks old.
She has to take anti-rejection medication twice a day, which means that her weakened immune system can not handle the vaccines, making her vulnerable to diseases like measles.
READ MORE:
Vancouver faces measles outbreak with 9 confirmed cases
"Let's say that there was an epidemic at his school, we should remove Addison from school," Yong said.
"Frankly, you see all this junk on the Internet." People say, "It's a childhood disease. The children are recovering. This is not a big problem. 'That's not true at all. Even healthy children die from measles. So can you imagine what an immunocompromised person would do?
WATCH: Measles outbreak in Vancouver
help us improve Globalnews.ca
With transplant recipients like Addison, Yong said that people with chronic diseases and cancer patients rely on "collective immunity," a basic level of vaccination in the general population that prevents the spread of the disease, to protect against diseases.
Yong is not alone in her feelings. A mother from Maple Ridge recently launched a petition asking the province to make vaccinations mandatory in order to attend a public school.
READ MORE:
The Vancouver measles outbreak highlights low vaccination rates in many local schools
On Saturday, the mayor of Vancouver, Kennedy Stewart, said that mandatory vaccines were a problem that the province had to tackle, but that he was in principle in favor of vaccination.
"It's a discussion that we absolutely must have," Stewart said.
WATCH: Online petition calls for compulsory vaccinations in schools
"We need to ensure that our children are vaccinated and if they have not been vaccinated, they should immediately consult their doctor. [so] we make sure that it does not happen again and that it stays isolated. "
Vancouver Coastal Health (VCH) confirmed nine measles cases in 2019, eight of which related to a trio of francophone schools in Vancouver.
READ MORE: Low immunization rates in kindergartens in parts of Metro Vancouver are a public health problem
On Saturday, Fraser Health also confirmed that it had treated a case of measles in January, involving an adult who had contracted the virus abroad.
The outbreak also highlighted low vaccination rates in several Lower Mainland schools.
Data from Vancouver Coastal Health showed that of the 127 schools in the City of Vancouver, only 27 have vaccination rates of 90% or more, which is necessary to maintain herd immunity.
In fact, in eight schools in Metro Vancouver, the vaccination rate is 50% or less.
Click here to see the data »
"We are not allowed to bring peanut butter sandwiches to schools to protect children who have a peanut allergy," said Yong.
"So, why are unvaccinated children, potentially carrying a life-threatening illness, allowed to go to school? This seems wrong. "
WATCH: Officials warn of "many" cases of measles in two Vancouver schools
Vancouver Coastal Health continues to investigate the epidemic and students from two schools affected, École Jules Verne and Rose-des-Vents, can not go to school without a evidence of immunization.
Health officials are also trying to contact people who may have been exposed to a case of measles in British Columbia. The children's hospital on four specific dates.
- January 21st – 10h to 18h10
- January 23 – 4:45 to 11:10
- January 24 – 8:13 to 11:40
- February 1st – 14h to 18h55
Measles is highly contagious and potentially fatal and can be spread by air.
Symptoms include fever, cough, runny nose and red eyes, followed several days later by a rash that starts on the face and spreads to the body.
Two doses of measles vaccine are effective 99% of the time, and the majority of new cases involve people born after 1970 who have received only one dose or no dose, VCH said.
The agency said people born between 1970 and 1994 or who grew up outside British Columbia could receive only one dose.
Anyone wishing to be vaccinated can be vaccinated free of charge at a community health center, the front-line emergency center in the city center or, possibly, through their doctor or doctor. pharmacist.
-With the files of Julia Foy
© 2019 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
[ad_2]
Source link