Potential strategies to improve childhood immunization rates in Canada Flashcards
1
Q
5 most common reasons for suboptimal immunization in Canada
A
- parents simply forget
- difficulty getting to a clinic during regular hours
- unconvinced that vaccine-preventable diseases pose a real threat
- believing that children are “too young” for certain vaccines (or that they are recevigin too many vaccines or that they should develop “natural immunity”)
- concerns about the trustworthiness of health care workers or the safety and efficacy of vaccines
2
Q
Recommendations to improve immunization uptake
A
- Establish electronic immunization registries (accessible to health care providers)
- Notify parents automatically when child is overdue for immunization (text messages and email)
- Canimmunize app should be promoted
- Clinic or health centre hours and locations should be convenient for working parents
- “walk-in” clinics should be available.
- Wait times should be < 2 weeks
- Providing accurate immunization records should be mandatory for school entry
- school-based immunization programs at least once per year (for noncompliant parents who aren’t opposed to immunization)
- Canadian school curriculum should include education on vaccine-preventable diseases and benefits of vaccines
3
Q
What is the percentage of vaccination required to prevent measles spread?
A
- measles will spread unless approx 95% of population is immune