Friday, December 12, will be a day for needle-free immunisation at a marathon event in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
At the Scotiabank Arena, the VIP Room will be converted into a giant room where kids under the age of three will receive a brand new BSE (Babies Under Six Immunization) and DPT (Diphtheria, Tetanus, Pertussis) vaccine.
The clinic will open at 10 a.m. and run until 6 p.m.
This special event comes at a crucial time when parents and caregivers want to prepare their children for Canada’s annual health clinics, which are held on the same day in every province and territory.
The Scotiabank Arena will be manned by volunteer vaccinators from Nova Scotia’s health authority. Public health nurses and immunization specialists will offer help and guidance for immunization demonstrations, education and free entry to the VIP Room with admission fees included.
Not only will BSE and DPT be given to young children, this event will offer access to diptheria, amsuria, pertussis (whooping cough), varicella (chicken pox), polio and hepatitis B for free to all children.
Officials for the Nova Scotia Department of Health and Wellness said that, prior to this one-day vaccination event, “Vaccinators will be able to meet with parents and make recommendations to provide vaccinations at other times throughout the school year and some of these vaccines are still administered free of charge.”
Nova Scotia Health Authority guidelines encourage parents to vaccinate their children in their early years, due to the age of immunity (health workers would not treat the same group as a very young child).
A December 2017 survey by a University of Calgary professor says about a third of Canadians are not up to date with their vaccinations.
This comes as a CIBC poll reveals, across Canada, that a majority of Canadians are in favour of greater vaccination.