British Columbia Health Minister Adrian Dix says mandatory vaccination status reporting could be in place in the province by September. Dix told reporters Tuesday that mandatory reporting is a goal of his ministry. He says the requirement has been under consideration since it was recommended five years ago by B.C.’s chief medical health officer. B.C. Teachers Federation President Glen Hansman welcomes the initiative but wonders how schools will be prepared to handle the information. He says it is crucial for the province to be able to track who is vaccinated and who is not, and be able to intervene if necessary. Public health officials are warning of a significant outbreak of measles with 15 cases of the highly infectious disease recorded in Metro Vancouver. Two new cases were reported Wednesday and most of the illnesses are linked to two French-language schools in Vancouver after an unvaccinated child contracted the disease during a trip to Vietnam. Unlike Ontario, New Brunswick and Manitoba, B.C. does not have a law requiring mandatory vaccinations for measles. While the reporting of vaccination status will be mandatory, Dix says the province intends to continue with voluntary immunizations for childhood diseases. CHEK Newsletter Sign up for our newsletter to get breaking news and daily digests sent to your email. Email Address Sign Up Considering many parents still choose to opt out of vaccination programs, Hansman says the province must now decide who has the power to intervene when unvaccinated children are at school and an outbreak occurs. “Certainly nobody at the school level is necessarily qualified to be making those sorts of determinations. If the health authority was involved or the school district had a clear legislative tool that they were able to use, not to be punitive, but to be able to make sure that the student body as a whole is safe,” Hansman says. The BC Centre for Disease Control website shows that, on average, 88.4 per cent of youngsters in the province have had their second dose of measles vaccine, but coverage levels fall as low as 70.8 per cent in the Kootenay Boundary region. Experts say 90 to 95 per cent of the population must be immunized against measles in order to guarantee so-called herd immunity, which is the resistance to the disease that results when a sufficiently high proportion of the population is immune through vaccination. Files from The Canadian Press.<doc-sep>Share this Story: Petition calls for mandatory vaccinations in B.C. schools Petition calls for mandatory vaccinations in B.C. schools The petition garnered nearly 2,000 signatures Thursday following news Wednesday of another case of measles in Vancouver. Photo by Sean Gallup / Getty Images Article content An online petition is calling on the province to make vaccinations mandatory in B.C. schools following a second reported case of measles in Vancouver, and an outbreak of the disease south of the border. The petition, which as of Thursday afternoon had more than 1,800 signatures, asks Premier John Horgan to amend B.C.’s current enrolment policy to include mandatory vaccines except with medical exemptions. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or Petition calls for mandatory vaccinations in B.C. schools Back to video It was launched by Maple Ridge mom Katie Clunn, who says one concern people have is that they don’t want to give up their right to choose what is best for their family. Photo by Sean Gallup / Getty Images She says mandatory vaccines won’t force anyone to vaccinate because parents would have the choice to home school their children. She adds the move would protect the most vulnerable children, including those with compromised immune systems and babies who have not yet been vaccinated. Clunn, who is pregnant with her third child, says she launched the petition not just out of concern for her own children but also on behalf of all the vulnerable children and adults with health concerns. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content “If your child is going through chemo, you should know how many kids haven’t been vaccinated,” she said Thursday. “Four year olds with leukaemia shouldn’t be scared to visit their friends at school.” She notes that schools protect kids with allergies, for example, by banning peanuts, something Clunn says she wholeheartedly supports, but don’t protect kids who are at risk of developing a preventable disease like measles. She hopes the government will take note of the deadly outbreak in Europe and the state of emergency in Washington state and reconsider making vaccines mandatory at schools. Postmedia requested an interview with the chief medical health officer; however, a spokeswoman with the Ministry of Health said Dr. Bonnie Henry was unavailable Thursday. “You are always entitled to choice, but you are not exempt from the consequences of your choices. We cannot send unvaccinated (children) to school for the safety of those who can’t be vaccinated, as well as for the safety of those who won’t vaccinate,” said Clunn. What do you think? Should parents have to show proof of vaccines before school enrolment? Take Our Poll On Wednesday, Vancouver Coastal Health confirmed a second case of measles in Vancouver in a week. The news comes as there is an outbreak of measles in Washington State, where 54 cases of the disease have been confirmed. Gov. Jay Inslee has declared a state of emergency because of the outbreak. At least eight people have died in Ukraine, where 53,000 cases have been reported. The skyrocketing measles rates there are believed to be due to vaccine refusal as well as a temporary breakdown in vaccine orders by the government. Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content In Vancouver, health officials said the latest case was transmitted locally, and confirmed that the person is a school-age child. The first case, acquired abroad, was confirmed on Saturday. Last year, six cases were confirmed across B.C., up from a single case in 2017 and two cases in 2016, according to the B.C. Centre for Disease Control. B.C. last experienced a measles outbreak in 2014, when 343 cases were reported, most of them linked to an outbreak in a religious community that objects to vaccination. The World Health Organization named “vaccine hesitancy” one of its top 10 threats to global health in 2019. Measles saw a 30 per cent increase in cases globally between 2016 and 2017, and a resurgence in some countries that were close to eliminating it, according to the organization. Ontario and New Brunswick have mandatory immunizations with exceptions and proof must be shown at the time of school enrolment. ticrawford@postmedia.com With files from Nick Eagland and The Associated Press Share this article in your social network Latest National Stories Advertisement Story continues below This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Vancouver Sun Headline News Sign up to receive daily headline news from the Vancouver Sun, a division of Postmedia Network Inc. Email Address There was an error, please provide a valid email address. By clicking on the sign up button you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. You may unsubscribe any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link at the bottom of our emails. Postmedia Network Inc. | 365 Bloor Street East, Toronto, Ontario, M4W 3L4 | 416-383-2300 Thanks for signing up! A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it please check your junk folder. The next issue of Vancouver Sun Headline News will soon be in your inbox. We encountered an issue signing you up. Please try again Trending<doc-sep>B.C. 's provincial health officer is working with experts from the Ministry of Health and the B.C. Centre for Disease Control and other stakeholders on fine-tuning the details of a mandatory immunization program to be rolled out at the beginning of the next school year. Dr. Bonnie Henry says mandatory reporting will affect all students across B.C. "I am glad that the province is moving forward with this, with a timeline of implementing an immunization registration policy this September," said Henry. Both Henry and Health Minister Adrian Dix have said B.C. 's model will closely follow Ontario's immunization program for children attending school. This is what B.C. parents can expect when mandatory immunization reporting takes effect: Before the school year begins, parents will need to gather their child's immunization records either from their physician or public health. Immunization records will be submitted to the school, likely with the usual registration records as the school year begins. That information will be forwarded to public health and entered into the registry. If a particular immunization is missing, parents will be advised to follow up with their public health unit or physician to get their child up to date. There will likely be a grace period for students who are not caught up with their required immunizations. If a parent wants their child exempt based on their personal beliefs, Henry said that will require a notarized form that outlines that parents understand the potential consequences of their child not being immunized. Exemptions will likely be allowed for valid medical reasons, like allergic reactions, and those will be reviewed by a medical health officer. Suspensions for non-compliance are likely. Suspensions and exclusions Right now in the Waterloo region of Ontario, 6,129 students are on suspension notice because their immunization records aren't up to date. Parents have until March 26 to provide proof of immunization or a valid exemption to avoid suspension, which can last up to 20 days. In B.C., health minister Adrian Dix used the term "exclusion," rather than suspension, when he said on Tuesday that 30 to 40 students and adults are currently prohibited from attending schools affected by the measles outbreak. "Public health protocols under the public health act exclude students from school if they aren't immunized," said Dix. March break travellers In light of the current measles outbreak, and with spring break just around the corner when many families will be travelling, Henry is advising adults and children to get their vaccinations fully up to date as soon as possible.<doc-sep>
B.C. Health Minister Adrian Dix says the province will require parents to register their children’s immunization records at school by the fall, with all students in both public and private schools required to provide proof of immunization against measles and other diseases. Pressure has been mounting for the provincial government to act after a recent measles outbreak in Vancouver. An online petition has more than 43,000 signatures calling for mandatory vaccines in B.C., with medical exemptions. “We need to take a series of actions,” Dix said. “What we want to do is go forward with systems that inform and ensure that nobody is not immunized because they forgot.” British Columbia chief medical officer Dr. Bonnie Henry has recommended the province move towards mandatory registration. All students will have to show their vaccination records at school. Story continues below advertisement Exemptions will exist for children who cannot receive vaccines due to medical reasons. If a parent does not want a child to receive an immunization because of philosophical reasons, Dix says they “would have to go through a process to state that.” “I want to be really methodical about this. We have seen a dramatic increase over the last couple of weeks in immunization rates. We are seeing a real impact on the ground,” he said. “We need to make sure the protocols are in place.” Recently, British Columbia has seen a substantial uptick in the number of people who have been vaccinated as 13 cases of measles have been reported so far in the ongoing outbreak in Vancouver. WATCH: Young B.C. cancer patient can’t attend school due to measles outbreak 1:51 Young B.C. cancer patient can’t attend school due to measles outbreak Young B.C. cancer patient can’t attend school due to measles outbreak – Feb 25, 2019 The main goal of vaccination registration is to provide education to parents about vaccines and how they have been proven successful in eradicating diseases. Story continues below advertisement “My recommendation is that there should be some steps. For example, if you have a medical exemption or medical reason that you can’t be immunized, then that needs to be certified by a physician and, I would suggest, reviewed by a public health official in your area,” Henry said. “If you have a philosophical reason, then yes, I do think there needs to be an education process, whether that’s taking a module or having a structured (discussion) with a clinician — either the medical health officer or designate — and then an official form signed saying you recognize the risks of not immunizing your child.​” WATCH: New Vancouver measles cases linked to travel 1:59 New Vancouver measles cases linked to travel New Vancouver measles cases linked to travel – Feb 24, 2019 There are no jurisdictions in Canada that require vaccinations for students. Dix says the previous government considered registration for students and decided not to go forward. Story continues below advertisement British Columbia has had measles outbreaks before, including 343 reported cases in 2014 and 87 cases in 2010. Dix says that following the Fraser Valley outbreak, the area had one of the highest rates of immunization in the province without any policy changes. “I think we need to make the long-term changes, which includes where we are succeeding and where we are not,” Dix said. “There are areas of the province where immunization rates are higher and areas where they are not.”