B.C. Health agencies send out measles vaccination reminders
Parents with children who are due for a measles vaccination may get a rather eye-catching notice in the mail from the B.C. government very soon.
Thousands of notes have been sent from Immunize BC to parents in the Lower Mainland, Fraser Valley and Vancouver Island, with a message reading, "Not immunizing kids puts all of us at risk."
When the envelope is opened and the postcard inside is exposed to light, the note breaks out in red spots.
"The goal, more than anything, is to start a conversation, a dialogue with those people that are maybe on the fence about vaccinations, or are a little bit unsure," said Ian Roe, content strategist with the B.C. Centre for Disease Control.
The BCCDC is one of the organizations involved with Immunize BC, along with the B.C. Ministry of Health and regional health authorities.
Roe said they were approached with this concept for their annual reminder postcards by Rethink Communications, an advertising agency, which came up with the idea to use photosensitive ink.
He said that it is a positive method to encourage those who are reluctant to get vaccinated.
"Telling people they're not very smart, and using words or expletives to describe their actions, doesn't really work, because it gets people up on the defensive," he said.
"The one thing we share is we all love our kids, and we all want the best for our kids. Our message really is when it comes to serious childhood illnesses...immunization is the best way to protect them."
The measles vaccine requires two doses — one given around 12 months of age, and the second when the child is four to six years old.
Fraser Valley outbreak in 2014
Measles were thought to have been virtually eliminated from North America over a decade ago.
The disease spread through B.C.'s Fraser Valley in March 2014. At Disneyland in California there was another large outbreak in December that same year.
"[The Fraser Valley outbreak] was the result of a case coming in from overseas, and there was an unvaccinated population, and it spread like wildfire. Measles is one of the most infectious diseases we have in the world, and it doesn't take a lot for it to spread."
The Canadian Medical Association recently passed a resolution at their annual general meeting to call on governments to authorize elementary and secondary schools to require parents to disclose their child's immunization status.
"We know that vaccines are safe and effective, so really this is a way of expressing our concern, and suggesting one way to perhaps increase vaccination rates in all provinces and territories," said CMA president Dr. Cindy Forbes.
To hear the full interview click on the audio labelled: Immunize BC sending unique vaccination reminder postcards
