An electronic billboard with this message displayed showed up in West Kelowna in recent weeks.

Image Credit: Vaccine Choices Canada

WEST KELOWNA - “Compensation US = $4 billion, Canada = $0”

That message about National Vaccine Injury Compensation flashed above West Kelowna commuters in recent weeks, courtesy of an electronic billboard at the corner of Boucherie Road and Highway 97.

The billboard, which no longer displays the ad, was part of a campaign by a group called Vaccine Choice Canada. While they didn’t return requests for an interview, a statement on the VCC website said it is a federally registered not-for-profit educational society, “formed in response to growing public concern about vaccine safety.”

“VCC is dedicated to protecting the basic human right of all people to make fully informed and voluntary decisions about the medical practice of vaccination for themselves and their children,” reads the statement. “Our goal is to inform the public about the existing and emerging scientific research literature evaluating the risks, side effects and long-term health effects of current vaccination policies.”

Its members have been particularly active in recent months, launching billboard campaigns in other provinces, as the push for immunization has picked up and measle outbreaks have been more numerous.

While Interior Health Authority officials can’t quantify whether there’s a growing anti-vaccination movement locally, or even combat that message directly, they are trying to get more information out through their pre-existing channels of engagement.

“I think it’s unfortunate to see that kind of misinformation out in our communities, but we can only do what we do and give correct information when we can,” said Issy Aguiar, manager of immunization program for IHA.

“That’s the most important piece, we need to get the right information out there... Vaccines are there and effective. The best way to protect your child is to immunize.”

There’s some evidence that using public health nurses to convey that message and provide additional educational material is working.

Interior Health launched a vaccine campaign from April 1 until the end of June of this year, and during that time they administered 700 per cent more Measles Mumps Rubella vaccination to school-age children in the Okanagan than they had in the previous year.

“During the measles campaign, we saw parents from other countries and other provinces who haven’t been provided with immunization records,” Aguiar said.

“Parents get busy and they forget their kids are requiring vaccines. These weren’t anti immunizers. They had forgotten whether kids were up to date and realized reaching out to make sure they were vaccinated.”

Aguiar noted that some people simply are unsure.

A survey done for Health Canada in 2017, showed one in three parents expressed having some kind of doubt or concern about vaccinating their child. One in 10 said they had refused or delayed getting some vaccines for their children.

The educational campaign is going some distance in addressing that misinformation.

"There have always been people who have had concerns, but there is a group of people who are uncomfortable not because they are against vaccines, but because they don’t know what vaccines they are qualified for and how to reach them," she said.

"We found during the measles campaign, after speaking, people felt more comfortable and immunizing children and themselves."

Also encouraging vaccination is a provincial plan for a new immunization registry to require parents and guardians to submit a child’s vaccination records if they attend public school.

“This mandatory reporting of the immunization status of students will ensure the public health system is prepared in the event of an outbreak,” Health Minister Adrian Dix said in June, noting that the Vaccination Status Reporting Regulation went into effect on July 1.

“Furthermore, with the up-to-date records, public health can reach out to families with children behind on their immunizations and provide an opportunity to catch them up, as well as discuss any concerns with parents.”

Most parents have already submitted the necessary paperwork to their local health unit.

This is something that Vaccine Choice Canada has recently spoken out about.

"Since health officials already have access to every child’s medical record, it begs the question whether these new Regulations are a sincere request for information, or an effort at coercion and instilling fear in parents," reads a message on the website.

"Furthermore, introducing the threat of large fines and/or imprisonment for non-compliance with administrative requirements of reporting vaccination status, submitting written statements on reasons for not vaccinating, as well as attending mandatory information sessions and meetings with a health official is especially draconian. These new regulations make it increasingly challenging for BC citizens to exercise their legal right to medical decision-making and protecting the privacy of their medical records. As well, there is the real potential to undermine the medical ethic of informed consent, thus threatening our most basic liberties."

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