Back to Top ↑
!We see that you are viewing this website on Internet Explorer 10 or older.
To get the best possible experience while using our website, we recommend that you upgrade your browser to Google Chrome.

Immunizations

Indicator #15: Immunization Rates

Indicator 15A: Percentage of children who are up to date with immunizations by their seventh birthday.

Indicator 15B: Percentage of students in grade 9 with up-to-date immunizations.

 

 

Jump to Figure Notes and Sources

 

Key Messages

  • Immunization is one of the most important measures available to monitor the prevention of illness and health complications in childhood—it is often described as one of the most successful and cost-effective health interventions.1,2
  • Immunizations provide individual protection, as well as more broad protection of a population, from illnesses that have historically caused devastating outbreaks (e.g., measles, polio). High levels of immunization in the population are needed to protect those who are not able to receive the vaccine due to age or illness.
  • Most parents interviewed in a recent Canadian survey (the Childhood National Immunization Coverage Survey) thought that childhood vaccines are safe. Similarly they believed that vaccines are effective and important for children’s health.3
  • At the current time, data are only available for Indicator 15A; future reports will include Indicator 15B as well, pending data availability.
  • Figure 15A.1 shows that many children had up-to-date immunizations by age 7 from 2012 to 2014, but almost one-third did not. There are currently concerns among health care providers that increasing numbers of children are not up-to-date for all the vaccines they need in BC.4,5
  • Figures 15A.2 and 15A.3 reveal that many of the 7-year-old children without up-to-date immunizations are from Island Health and Fraser Health.

 

Figure Notes and Sources

Figure 15A.1

Data sources: BC Centre for Disease Control, Immunization Programs and Vaccine Preventable Disease Service. Immunization data are from Panorama, BC Centre for Disease Control, 2014; the Public Health Information System, BC Centre for Disease Control, 2012 to 2014; Primary Access Regional Information System, Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, 2012 to 2014. School enrolment data are from the BC Ministry of Education, 2012 to 2014. Prepared by the Surveillance and Epidemiology Team, BC Office of the Provincial Health Officer, 2016.
 

Figure 15A.2

Note: Health authority is based on the residence of the child.

Data sources: BC Centre for Disease Control, Immunization Programs and Vaccine Preventable Disease Service. Immunization data are from Panorama, BC Centre for Disease Control, 2014; the Public Health Information System, BC Centre for Disease Control, 2014; Primary Access Regional Information System, Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, 2014. School enrolment data are from the BC Ministry of Education, 2014. Prepared by the Surveillance and Epidemiology Team, BC Office of the Provincial Health Officer, 2016.
 

Figure 15A.3

Note: Health service delivery area is based on the residence of the child.

Data sources: BC Centre for Disease Control, Immunization Programs and Vaccine Preventable Disease Service. Immunization data are from Panorama, BC Centre for Disease Control, 2014; the Public Health Information System, BC Centre for Disease Control, 2014; Primary Access Regional Information System, Vancouver Coastal Health Authority, 2014. School enrolment data are from the BC Ministry of Education, 2014. Prepared by the Surveillance and Epidemiology Team, BC Office of the Provincial Health Officer, 2016.

 

References

  1. World Health Organization. WHO global health days. Campaign essentials [Internet]. Geneva: World Health Organization; [cited 2016 Jul 14]. Available from: http://www.who.int/campaigns/immunization-week/2013/campaign_essentials….
  2. Canadian Public Health Association. Fighting the good fight: taking on the anti-vaccine movement and public apathy [Internet]. Ottawa, ON: Canadian Public Health Association; [cited 2016 Jul 14]. Available from: https://www.cpha.ca/fighting-good-fight-taking-anti-vaccine-movement-an…
  3. Statistics Canada. Childhood National Immunization Coverage Survey, 2013. The Daily. Ottawa, ON: Statistics Canada; 2015 Jul 21 [cited 2016 Apr 6]. Available from: http://www.statcan.gc.ca/daily-quotidien/150721/dq150721c-eng.htm.
  4. Naus, M. Personal communication. BC Centre for Disease Control; 2014 Sep.
  5. BC Centre for Disease Control. Immunization uptake in children by the seventh birthday, 2012-2015. Vancouver, BC: BC Centre for Disease Control; [cited 2016 Apr 6]. Available from: http://www.bccdc.ca/resource-gallery/Documents/Statistics%20and%20Resea….