Mandatory vaccines for public school students not being considered on P.E.I.

P.E.I.'s Education Department says it has no plans to follow New Brunswick's lead and move toward banning unvaccinated students from its public schools.

In an interview with CBC this week, New Brunswick's education minister vowed to crack down on immunizations, insisting that students won't be allowed through public school doors without "their vaccine cards to prove that they are not a risk to themselves or others in the school system."

Those comments came as the Saint John, N.B., area battles ameasles outbreak, with nineconfirmed cases, most of them linked to a high school.

Island parents concerned

Some parentson P.E.I. have saidthey're hoping the provincialgovernment takes the same stance against unvaccinated students.

"It's good if they make it mandatory before they get into school, because it protects my kids as well as other kids too," saidVijila Suja, mother to a three-year-old and a one-month-old, who is too young to receive a dose of the measles vaccine.

Nancy Hood, who has a seven-month-old, shares theseconcerns.

"[My son] istoo young at the moment to get the vaccination, so if [others] don'tvaccinatetheir kids, well he's at risk too, right?" she said.

"If you don't want to vaccinate your kids, that's fine, butthere's other options. There's private school, there's homeschooling. But with it being public school, I think it should be mandatory, absolutely," Hood said.

'Not being considered'

But in an email to CBC, a spokesperson for P.E.I.'s Education Department said "mandatory vaccination is not currently being considered on P.E.I."

The department pointed to the fact that in the 2017-18 school year, without it being a requirement, 95.3 per centof Grade 1students had received the measles vaccine.

The spokesperson saidthat meets the threshold of95 per cent"for herd immunity to work."

'Years since last confirmed measles case'

Last week, public health officials on P.E.I. saidit'sbeen years since there's been a confirmed measles case on the Island.

Still, both Suja and Hood agree the outbreak in New Brunswick has them worried.

"I feel scared really," Suja said.

"With the outbreaks that are so close, it is scary to think," added Hood. "It'sNew Brunswick, and it may not take so much for it to cross that bridge."

According to health officials a memo has goneout to staff at Islandhospitals reminding them of what they need to watch for if someone does come in with symptoms of measles.

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