Ontario’s top doctor calls for a digital vaccine registry and national schedule to curb preventable diseases as measles resurges in Canada.
Push for a Unified Approach
Ontario’s Chief Medical Officer of Health, Dr. Kieran Moore, is calling for the modernization of the province’s vaccine registry and the creation of a national immunization schedule. His annual report to the legislature warns that the fragmented system across provinces has left gaps in vaccine coverage, contributing to the recent resurgence of measles.
Gaps in Current Systems
Each province and territory maintains its own immunization records, a patchwork approach that Moore says has led to confusion for parents and blind spots for public health officials. While provinces such as British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, Manitoba and Nova Scotia have modernized their registries, Ontario remains behind, relying on three separate systems for schools, COVID-19 records, and billing data.
Growing Vaccine Hesitancy
Moore’s report highlights a troubling rise in vaccine skepticism. Surveys show parental doubt about routine immunizations doubled between 2019 and 2024, while childhood vaccination rates fell after the COVID-19 pandemic. Public health experts warn that without centralized data, it is harder to track effectiveness and safety — leaving Canadians vulnerable to outbreaks of once-controlled diseases.
Challenges for Families and Health Officials
Parents are often forced to act as record keepers, submitting vaccination forms to schools, which then pass them to local health units. Toronto’s associate medical officer of health, Dr. Vinita Dubey, described the process as “very manual” and outdated, with systems that cannot communicate with one another. This inefficiency has delayed responses to coverage gaps and outbreaks.
Federal Coordination Efforts
The Public Health Agency of Canada is working with provinces and territories to link existing registries. As of October 2024, six jurisdictions — Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Yukon — had submitted vaccine data to the federal system. Ontario is in the process of integrating its records and developing a digital identity tool to allow patients easier access to their health information.
Economic and Public Health Benefits
Moore emphasized that a national vaccine schedule would not only strengthen disease prevention but also reduce costs through bulk purchasing and avoid duplication of doses. Centralized systems could also prevent unnecessary hospitalizations, easing the burden on Canada’s health-care system.
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