With the number of measles cases continuing to go up across Alberta, many discussions have been happening around the provincial governments actions on the outbreaks.
Vaccination rates has been one point of focus, with the NDP Shadow Minister for Health, Sarah Hoffman, says vaccines need to be made more accessible for families.
“When I look at things like the vaccine rates in the region, in Peace River 43% of two year olds have their two doses. It’s way higher by 17. I think sometimes people just forget, they get really busy, other stuff going on in their lives. I’m encouraging everyone to make this a priority right now.”
Right now there’s over 170 measles cases in the province, with just over 20 of them in the North Zone.
Hoffman says a lack of access to some health care services has been one of the factors behind the outbreak.
“A lot of people will go to emergency departments and I know that in the region we’ve seen many closed emergency rooms as well. Having access to that good primary care, whether it’s a public health nurse or a family doctor, to make sure that you can be as proactive and preventative as possible I think is one of the things that the government should be focused on.”
Hoffman also says there needs to be better communication between the province and the public on health related matters.
You can listen to the full interview below.
– Kyle Moore, Trending 55 Newsroom
