Doctors report uptick in teens, young adults choosing to vaccinate against parents' wishes'I don't think it's too late ever to get your measles immunization up to date,' public health official says. Dr. Eric Cadesky, a family physician and president of Doctors of B.C., said he's seen a number of young patients recently who made appointments to get the measles, mumps and rubella (MMR) vaccine over concerns about the outbreak. "Some of them said their parents were against vaccination because of unreliable sources of information that they received," Cadesky said. "Others had been hesitant [to be inoculated] because of pressure from peer groups." "I've heard of people throughout Canada and even doctors around the world saying that millennials are using these outbreaks as an opportunity to revisit the decision that their parents had made for them," he said. "And many are making a different decision, which is to protect themselves and also, in many cases, that means protecting the people around them, because not everyone can receive the vaccine." Among the patients Cadesky inoculated is Maddi Bisset, who had no vaccinations as a child because her mother believed young children shouldn't be "pumped full of chemicals." "She preferred more 'natural' alternatives, including homeopathy and essential oils," the 23-year-old said in an email interview Wednesday. "Everything my mother did was with our best interests in mind. I just believe she put too much faith into false articles she found online and did not consider what heavy repercussions not vaccinating your child has on both their health, the public's health and the possible life-threatening situations it puts at-risk people in. "With the frightening resurgence of measles in Vancouver, it wasn't a choice anymore, it was a moral obligation to public safety," Bisset said of her decision to get immunized. Cadesky said young patients like Bisset are often exposed to ideas and beliefs among their peers that differ from those of their parents, causing them to look for validated information, "and they're correctly concluding that vaccination is safe and effective. Dr. Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer, said the MMR shot is not only safe, but it's one of the most effective vaccines doctors have for preventing disease. "If someone is questioning whether to get vaccinated or not ... it's a really good idea now to go in and talk to your health provider if you have questions and get them answered and get yourself vaccinated," Tam said. "I don't think it's too late ever to get your measles immunization up to date." I personally think vaccinating your kids is a must because not only are they more prone to diseases, they're putting other individuals at risk. But I can also see the other perspective. Like one of the parents said that she wasn't given much information about vaccinations, maybe there should be more information provided about the effectiveness of vaccinations I guess.
2 Comments
Kiera
2/21/2019 12:23:18 pm
I agree with you on the fact that people should vaccinate their kids. I think it's nice the kids are able to get vaccinated without parent consent because once they are teenagers I feel as though they should have ability to make their own decisions on things like vaccinations
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Lake
2/21/2019 12:23:35 pm
interesting makes me question wether children should be able to speak to make there own discions when it comes to getting vaccinated
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