Ontario's first measles death in decades is a wake-up call for parents on vaccine hesitancy: 'Tragedy'

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Ontario has reported its first measles-related death since 1989, and experts say this points to Canadian parents being hesitant around vaccines. This tragic case involved a child under five from Hamilton, Ont., who was one of five unvaccinated children hospitalized with measles this year.

With 22 cases reported so far in 2024, Ontario has already seen nearly a quarter of the total measles cases documented in the past decade.

Dr. Allison McGeer, an infectious diseases specialist at Sinai Health System in Toronto, described the death as a "tragedy," emphasizing it was "inevitable" due to the significant drop in vaccination rates globally, the CBC reported. "It's something that people have spent a lot of time and effort to try to avoid," McGeer explained to CBC.

The decrease in vaccination rates isn't unique to Ontario. Across Canada and globally, immunization rates have been declining, giving measles — once nearly eradicated — a chance to spread again. Public Health Ontario reported an increase in the proportion of seven-year-olds who had no measles vaccine doses, from less than four per cent in 2019-2020, up to nearly 17 per cent in the 2022-2023 season.

Vaccines remain the most effective defense against this highly contagious virus, offering nearly 100 per cent efficacy with the full two-doses. As Dr. McGeer pointed out, "If you look at the data from any of the provinces, it's unvaccinated kids who are the problem."

According to a recent poll from Angus Reid, more parents are opposed to vaccinating their children compared to five years ago. Nina Bruchet, a mother of two in Chestermere, Alta., said she feels "anger, frustration, concern and disappointment," when it comes to the rise of the anti-vaccine sentiment, especially when it comes to the safety of her children and their health.

"I'm not sure if people are doing their research and understand the risks involved for their children," Bruchet said, pointing to the recent rise of measles as an example of something there's a known vaccine for but people are hesitant to seek out. "It's like we're going backwards."

Conversations around vaccines have been a point of contention during the pandemic — and even before. For Canadians like Bruchet, routine vaccinations are essential to the health of her kids and everyone in the community.

"It impacts everybody. Some people are more vulnerable than others," she said.

Yahoo Canada recently spoke to some parents and a pediatrician on vaccine hesitancy and what that might mean for children's health.

Vaccine hesitancy on the rise

According to the Angus Reid poll, one in six parents said they are "really against" getting their children vaccinated. This number is four times higher than the parents who held that view in 2019.

The poll also found that fewer parents support mandatory school vaccinations for their kids. In contrast, seven in 10 Canadians said they are worried about rising anti-vaccine sentiment, saying it can lead to unnecessary illness.

Dr. Ronik Kanani, the chief of pediatrics at North York General Hospital in Toronto, said many kids are coming into the hospital with influenza without having had their flu shot. Some of these kids might also have strep infections. "People may not be aware of what influenza can do and how sick their child can get with it," Kanani said.

He said some parents might only need a gentle reminder their kids are behind on their routine vaccinations, which can be understandable since the pandemic disrupted hospitals and regular check-ups.

Family doctor shortage 'adds another barrier'

Becky Thomlinson, a 33-year-old mother of two living in Kingston, Ont., said she understands when parents might fall behind on a routine vaccination or how it might slip through a crack.

"With the lack of family doctors, which can be hard to find, it just adds another barrier," she said.

On March 5, the Ontario College of Family Physicians (OCFP) said in a release that more than two million people did not have a family doctor in the province. It's a number projected to be as high as 4.4 million by 2026, as physicians retire or scale back their services within the next five years.

"Family medicine is under enormous strain right now due to system-wide issues," OCFP president Dr. Mekalai Kumanan said in the release.

Thomlinson said this family doctor shortage impacts her kids. Her children are caught up on everything except the COVID-19 vaccination. "As working parents, it's difficult to book a time and go," she said. "I know that these sound like excuses, but it's why they haven't been vaccinated."

She added she doesn't possess strong feelings for other parents who might not vaccinate their kids, but is hoping parents would take responsibility for their actions if an illness were to spread.

Vaccine hesitancy was 'always there'

Kanani said vaccine hesitancy was present even before the pandemic.

"I'm sure the pandemic made people more hesitant as vaccines were mandated for certain things," he said. "I think that maybe made people more hesitant — but I think it was always there."

Terri Beatty, a mother of three in Milton, Ont., said she understands parents who have reservations. Beatty's kids have their routine and COVID-19 vaccinations, but she said if she could go back in time, she wouldn't have done the COVID-19 vaccination for her kids.

She said for some, there is a lack of trust for big pharmaceutical companies that profit from vaccines, especially when made mandatory.

Kanani said while this lack of trust does exist, it's important to recognize the number of illnesses and infections that have been eliminated or eradicated because of routine vaccinations. He said he has seen a significant decrease in meningitis, blood infections and pneumonia from the pneumococcal vaccine. From the rotavirus vaccine, he has seen a decrease in the number of kids coming in with diarrhea and vomiting from rotavirus, a stomach flu.

"[Vaccines] have changed the types of infections and illnesses we see in kids," Kanani said. "They can make a huge difference in reducing risks."

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