There’s a measles outbreak in B.C. In 2019. So we have to talk.

Vaccine hesitancy is a top-10 global health threat. Kids are getting sick, and some are dying, from an illness that we should have eradicated decades ago. Children who can’t be vaccinated for health reasons are at risk through no fault of their own. In fact, the children of parents who voluntarily decide not to vaccinate are at risk through no fault of their own, too.

So we have to talk, people. But we have to do it without the usual screaming from opposite corners. Several outbreaks that are ongoing right now, including one in Vancouver, have proven that approach isn’t working.

Why do people make the decision not to vaccinate? How can we confront the myths that lead them down that path-and how can we do it in a way that actually gets through to them? What can governments do to increase the vaccination rate? How mandatory can we make vaccines that have been proven safe? Why don’t people believe tested science-and why does a single debunked study from more than 20 years ago still hold so much power in the minds of so many?

GUEST: Andre Picard, Health Reporter, The Globe and Mail

Audio credits to: CBC, City News, CTV, Global

 

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