News Release
September 16, 2019

The World Health Organization (WHO) identifies vaccine hesitancy, the reluctance or refusal to vaccinate despite the availability of vaccines, as one of the top 10 global health threats and a growing concern in Canada. Following a request from the Board of Health, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health will present a report addressing vaccine hesitancy at the board’s September 23 meeting.

Evidence shows that immunization has saved more lives than any other public health intervention. Vaccines are safe, effective, and one of the most important ways to improve health worldwide and prevent the spread of infectious diseases. However, in Canada it is estimated that 20 per cent of parents have questions about vaccines. As a result, they may be reluctant to follow the evidence-informed provincial schedule of vaccines for their children, to request additional information from their health care provider before accepting vaccines, or to seek information on the internet. All of these behaviours can potentially lead to vaccine hesitancy.

To respond to vaccine hesitancy, address its root causes and maintain high vaccination rates, Toronto Public Health (TPH) has developed a comprehensive strategy that involves health care providers, parents, students, educators and government agencies at the provincial and national levels. To further strengthen this strategy, TPH is making several recommendations to the Board of Health, including asking the Ministry of Health to consider removing philosophical and religious exemptions under the Immunization of School Pupils Act, and requesting that major search engines and social media organizations, including Facebook, Google, Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram, adopt measures to reduce misinformation about vaccines on their platforms.

More information about the report is available at http://app.toronto.ca/tmmis/viewAgendaItemHistory.do?item=2019.HL9.2.

Quote:

“The reasons why people choose not to vaccinate their children are complex. Research shows that vaccine hesitant parents are mainly concerned about the safety and efficacy of vaccines, and often have difficulty identifying credible evidence-based information sources. An informed dialogue between parents and their child’s health care provider is critical for helping parents make decisions about their child’s vaccinations. This is why we are providing doctors and nurses with evidence-based vaccine information to help facilitate these important conversations.”
– Dr. Eileen de Villa, Toronto’s Medical Officer of Health

Toronto is Canada’s largest city, the fourth largest in North America, and home to a diverse population of more than 2.9 million people. It is a global centre for business, finance, arts and culture and is consistently ranked one of the world’s most livable cities. For information on non-emergency City services and programs, Toronto residents, businesses and visitors can visit http://www.toronto.ca, call 311, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, or follow us on Twitter at http://www.twitter.com/cityoftoronto, on Instagram at http://www.instagram.com/cityofto or on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/cityofto.

Lenore Bromley
Toronto Public Health
416-338-7974