U.S. measles outbreak renews vaccine concerns in Manitoba

More people arediscussing whether to vaccinate kids aftera measles outbreak affecting more than 100 people across 14 states in the U.S., andin Toronto.

The decision of whether to vaccinate kids in Manitoba still lies in the hands of parents.

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Jenn Kiziak just took her son Archer to get his first round of immunization shots recently.

He screamed bloody murder, Jenn said.

Kiziak said while she ultimately believes vaccinating her son was the right choice, it doesn'tmean she is stillreservation-free on the matter.

"I've never put anything into him other than breast milk, right, so it's really scary to be putting a lot of foreign chemicals and things, that you can't produce, into his body, so yeah, I was hesitant."

Across Manitoba, just under 80 per cent of kids receive some sort of shot or booster.

But on the whole, vaccination rates for measles, mumps and rubella are slightly down.

• Measles: What you need to know

In 2012 86.5 per cent of kids received the vaccine; in 2013, that number dropped to 81.2 per cent.

In that time, fearsover a connection between vaccination and things like autism have been raised across North America fearsthat have beendebunked bythe scientific community.

Public officials like Hillary Clinton and U.S. President Barack Obama have weighed in, urging parents everywhere to listen to the research and vaccinate their kids.

"I understand that there are families that, in some cases, are concerned about the effect of vaccinations," Obama told CBC. "The science is, you know, pretty indisputable."

Manitobas lead vaccine physician Dr. Tim Hildermansaid the current cases cropping up in Canada and south of the border serve as a good reminder to make sure people are up to date with their shots.

"There are cases and instances of very serious complications of these disease resulting in hospitalization, severe pneumonia, severe nervous system complications and even death in developed nations, saidHilderman. And they arepreventable."

Hilderman said that while there is no compelling evidence that making the measles shot mandatory will up vaccination rates, the province is working on addressing concerns from parents who choose to abstain.

Even though her son is getting his shots, Kiziak said she's still not 100 per cent comfortable with the process.

"He's going to come into contact with all sorts of things that he's not necessarily going to be protected from, so it's one of those risks about sending your kid out into the world I guess," said Kiziak.

Kiziak said if vaccinating her son can prevent him from getting even one disease, she'll continue to do so.