Routine school-based vaccination plummeted in Ontario during pandemic, new report finds

A new report shows a sharp decline in vaccination coverage among some children in Ontario in recent years. It’s one of the many consequences of the pandemic, with experts putting large cohorts of children at increased risk of preventable infections.

A report from Public Health Ontario examines three recently completed school years to determine how the pandemic has affected routine administration of three vaccines. These vaccines are typically hepatitis B, human papillomavirus (HPV), and meningococcal complex (MCV4). ) vaccination. Vaccines protect against serious illnesses and cancers associated with these viruses.

The report, released late last month, said despite catch-up programs launched by health authorities to address pandemic-related declines, vaccination coverage is well below normal levels, with many people It has been found to increase the risk of illness and disease.

“The systems we use to deliver the vaccine did not work properly during that time. COVIDsaid Sean Morris, an infectious disease clinical scientist at Toronto’s Children’s Hospital. “We are seeing a decline in routine childhood immunization on all fronts.”

The PHO reported that in the 2020-21 school year, less than 3% of 12-year-olds were fully vaccinated against the human papillomavirus, which can cause cervical cancer and other forms of cancer. 2018-19. After a catch-up program the following year, approximately 23% of the same cohort were fully vaccinated. That is, they received her two of her HPV vaccines.

“Even if it catches up, it’s much lower than we would have expected based on pre-pandemic levels,” said Christine Navarro, the PHO public health physician who led the new report.

The report also shows that between 2021 and 2022, only 30% of 12-year-olds completed two doses of the hepatitis B vaccine series. In 2018-19, the completion rate was approximately 65%.

For the MCV4 vaccine, which protects against the four types of bacteria that can cause meningococcal disease, coverage is 43% by the end of the 2021-22 school year, down from about 80% in 2018-19. much less.

The report also included data on vaccination coverage among 17-year-olds. Although there was a slight dip in vaccination coverage, most of his teenagers in these cohorts should have had routine immunizations before the pandemic.

Dr. Navarro said there is great hope that with the resumption of more typical school years, rates of routine school-based immunizations will begin to return to pre-pandemic levels. Many public health staff have been redeployed from providing routine childhood immunizations or sending letters to families of children who have missed vaccinations. Dr. Navarro said Ontario has expanded eligibility for some vaccines to ensure those who want to catch up get the vaccine without being charged a fee.

But Dr. Morris said concerns remain about how to improve vaccination coverage for students who weren’t vaccinated during the pandemic. Many of those children and adolescents then transferred to high schools where they were not normally vaccinated.

Low vaccination coverage means that these people face a higher risk of disease as a result. For example, HPV infection can cause cervical cancer and other forms of cancer in unvaccinated people. Meningococci can lead to debilitating illnesses in young people, often fatal, Dr. Morris said.

“People going to college are a typical risk,” Dr. Morris said, referring to meningococcal disease. “It’s entirely possible that people are entering the highest-risk period of their lives and will not be adequately protected.”

He said Ontario and national health officials should continue their catch-up programs and other novel efforts to increase coverage.

Also, the extent is unknown. Misinformation about the COVID-19 vaccine There may be ripple effects.

“It’s really hard to know the impact of vaccine fatigue, let alone vaccine hesitation,” Dr. Navarro said.

Dr. Morris fears that rising misinformation about vaccines, even after considering a catch-up program, could help explain why vaccination coverage remains below pre-pandemic levels. said.