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July 22, 2015 - 6:00 AM
TORONTO - Statistics Canada says a high percentage of two-year-old kids have been vaccinated against a variety of childhood diseases and most parents believe such shots are important.
The 2013 Childhood National Immunization Coverage Survey found 89 per cent of two-year-old children had received the recommended number of immunizations against measles, mumps and rubella.
Coverage for polio among two-year-old kids was 91 per cent, while 73 per cent had been vaccinated against chickenpox.
The survey also collected data on immunization against the human papilloma virus for girls aged 12 to 14 and 17. The HPV vaccination rate was 72 per cent for girls 12 to 14, and 64 per cent for 17-year-old girls.
But the survey of parents and guardians also found a small proportion of Canadian children — 1.5 per cent — had never received immunizations of any kind.
For those kids who received at least one immunization, 97 per cent of their parents or guardians agreed that vaccines are important to safeguard children's health.
The same percentage said they believe childhood inoculation is effective, while 95 per cent said they consider vaccination safe.
News from © The Canadian Press, 2015