Provincial Health Officer’s Statement On Ensuring Children’s Vaccinations Are Up To Date

BC’s provincial health officer is encouraging parents to make sure their kids' vaccinations are up to date as the new school year approaches.

Dr. Bonnie Henry says that will help with common illnesses, such as measles, mumps and rubella, polio, pertussis (whooping cough) and chickenpox.
“August is the perfect time to take your children for any outstanding vaccines. As kids start or return to child care or school, they’ll be interacting with many friends, caregivers and teachers, increasing their chances of being exposed to these and other infectious diseases. And we know respiratory-illness season will soon be here, bringing COVID-19, influenza and other viruses,” Henry said in a statement.
“Getting your children vaccinated is the best way to protect them from vaccine-preventable illnesses that can cause serious illness, long-term disability and even death.”
Children six and under are eligible for free vaccines to protect them from more than a dozen diseases.
The province also provides children with vaccines at school clinics beginning in Grade 6, including the human papillomavirus and meningitis vaccines, and booster doses of vaccines they received in early childhood.
For older students, or young adults in post-secondary schools, vaccines against influenza and meningitis are recommended, along with an updated dose of the COVID-19 vaccine.

To see the full statement, visit Government of British Columbia.