P.E.I.'s school vaccine rates should rebound after dipping below national target, says CPHO
CBC
Prince Edward Island health officials say they've seen the number of vaccinations in the province's school system drop over the last couple of years.
Students on P.E.I. get vaccines in grades 6 and 9, but the latest available numbers from 2023-24 show the rates have declined.
The province's chief public health officer said the numbers were still quite good, but below the national target of 90 per cent.
Dr. Heather Morrison said several factors could be at play in the decline — families moving from out of province may not have vaccination records on file with province, while sometimes students are absent on immunization day, or their parents are vaccine-hesitant.
"I think overall we're doing really well. We need to do a better job of capturing people before [they] leave high school," Morrison said. "Of course, I'd like to see us at 95 per cent, and if any province can do it, I think certainly P.E.I. could do it.”
Island schools offer HPV immunizations to students in Grade 6 to protect against certain types of cancer. The vaccines in Grade 9 combat tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis and four strains of meningitis.
Morrison said she wants her office to work with education officials and Public Health Nursing to do a catch-up program with students before they graduate from high school — so if they've missed a vaccine, they can get it then.
She said she also wants to connect with parents who may be hesitant to get their children vaccinated and answer any questions and concerns they may have.
Despite the decline in rates, Morrison said P.E.I.'s numbers in the latest data were strong at about 87 per cent.
"Of course that's a concern and we worry about that," she said. "We do know that the most recent school year, those rates are looking like they're going up, which is really encouraging.”
Morrison said that 90 per cent immunization target is key to herd immunity — it prevents disease and protects those who are unable to get vaccinated or who don’t respond well to vaccines.
She said she's optimistic P.E.I.'s numbers will rise through education campaigns.
"We’ll continue to work … to make sure that we have the most protected student body that we can."
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