The number of students submitting exemptions for common vaccines has more than quadrupled in the last year in Chatham-Kent.
According to Chatham-Kent Public Health, the current number of student exemptions is roughly seven times higher than what health officials have historically experienced.
Marnie Van Vlymen, the infectious disease and emergency management program manager with CK Public Health, attributed the spike in vaccine hesitancy to the COVID-19 pandemic and related vaccination campaigns.
“There’s a decreased confidence in vaccines,” she said. “We’ve seen so much with vaccines in the last little bit and we’re seeing an exhaustion.”
As a result, vaccination has been identified as an immediate local priority by the Infectious Diseases Team, which will be prioritizing providing routine vaccines for residents who do not have a primary care provider.
Acting Medical Officer of Health Dr. Shanker Nesathurai said when the polio vaccine was made available in the 1950s, the public deferred to the judgement of doctors and public health officials. However, today’s culture is more skeptical of people of authority.
“I think moving forward we have to present a balanced message about the benefits of vaccines,” he said. “Vaccines are safe. They go through a rigorous, robust evaluation process before they are given to people.”
Public health officials said they will continue to monitor the local situation closely, while continuing to educate the general public on the importance of vaccine safety, routine immunizations, recommended immunization schedules for all ages, and the importance of adhering to the Publicly Funded Immunization Schedules for Ontario.