Quebec childhood vaccination rates hold steady at about 90 per cent
A wire report distributed by Lethbridge News Now details how Quebec's public health institute found immunization coverage largely unchanged since before the pandemic, despite declines seen in many other countries.
Quebec's public health institute reports that childhood vaccination rates have remained largely stable in recent years, even after the disruptions of the COVID-19 pandemic. Coverage for vaccines due at the start of the school year stood at 78.3 per cent among seven-year-olds in 2023, nearly identical to 78.4 per cent in 2021. Among one-year-olds, full age-appropriate coverage was 89.6 per cent in 2023, close to 2021's 89.3 per cent but slightly below 2019's 92.3 per cent. Two-year-olds saw 85.6 per cent coverage in 2023, up from 84.2 per cent in 2021 though still below 2019's 88.3 per cent.
Dr. Nicholas Brousseau, a medical adviser with l'Institut national de santé publique du Québec, said the province avoided the further declines seen internationally, crediting sustained public health efforts since the pandemic. He noted about 90 per cent of Quebec children remain well vaccinated, receiving most scheduled doses, even though vaccination is not mandatory in the province.
Officials point to programs such as EMMIE, which trains counsellors to discuss vaccination with new parents starting in a child's first days, as a factor in reducing hesitancy. Dr. Arnaud Gagneur, a Sherbrooke pediatrician behind the program, is studying whether counselling sessions make parents less susceptible to vaccine misinformation.
The report noted vaccination coverage is significantly lower among children born outside Quebec or to mothers born outside Canada. Health officials said local centres proactively follow up on missed appointments, and schools offer catch-up opportunities including a review of vaccination records in ninth grade.
Compiled by the Alberta Daily Desk — an AI-written summary of reporting from the credited sources below, produced and reviewed under our editorial policy.