An Overwhelming Majority of Canadians Think Vaccinations Should Be Mandatory As The Measles Outbreak Spreads
Measles cases are on the rise in Canada. So far in 2019 there have been thirteen confirmed cases of measles in BC, alone. Health Canada's website tracks the cases of measles and rubella, stating of BC that "a number of confirmed cases of measles were reported in mid-February in British Columbia, most of which were associated with a cluster of related school-based outbreaks in Vancouver that were linked to importation of measles from outside of North America."
"Anti-vaxxers," people who do not want to vaccinate their kids on the basis of pseudo-scientific beliefs about the negative health impacts of vaccines on people, are partially to blame for the outbreak of this disease, which has seen a 30% increase globally.
Luckily, this belief is not shared by most Canadians: a recent poll by the Angus Reid Institute shows that a vast majority of Canadians (70%) now believe that vaccinations should be mandatory.
TL;DR 70% of Canadian respondents to a poll by the Angus Reid Institute believe that vaccinations should be mandatory. This comes after a rising number of confirmed measles cases in BC.
Measles is a highly contagious disease, one that people can catch just by being in the same location as an infected person. You don't need to come into close contact with the measles patient to catch the disease.
Not vaccinating children leaves those who cannot be vaccinated and those with compromised immune systems at a high risk of contracting serious, potentially deadly, diseases like measles.
Unfortunately, a non-negligible portion of the population is against vaccinating their children.
83 per cent of Canadians say they would vaccinate their children without reservation. Five per cent are against it outright https://t.co/Nv2A7Kidxt pic.twitter.com/nq20o95jf1
Worryingly, however, the same poll shows that a third of Canadians think the science on vaccines is not "quite clear."
1/4 Cdns say the science on vaccines isn't quite clear:https://t.co/Nv2A7KzOW3 pic.twitter.com/BVHGBGCs5s
The threat to global health that vaccine hesitancy poses is so great that it has been named one of the top 10 threats to global health by the World Health Organisation, along with dengue fever and ebola. The WHO states that vaccine hesitancy "threatens to reverse progress made in tackling vaccine-preventable diseases... [vaccination] currently prevents 2-3 million deaths a year."
Canada had eradicated measles in 1998 now thanks to antivax spreading lies about vaccines and autism we have it back
Canadians seem to agree that anti-vaxxers are a problem, and that vaccination should no longer be trusted to parents: a recent poll by the Angus Reid Institute shows that a 70% of Canadians now believe that vaccinations should be mandatory for children to attend school. 24% believe it should be the parents' choice while 7% are unsure.
& the measles have made its way into Canada,AB. So thank you to those who STILL feel they should get that choice of not vaccinating their kids 👏🏼
70% of Cdns say vaccinations should be mandatory for school children:https://t.co/Nv2A7KzOW3 pic.twitter.com/DTABU1fW0B
This belief crosses party lines. According to the poll, "at least two-thirds of each of the major federal parties potential supporters say this should be the standard."
Canadians: united against pseudo-scientific beliefs!