With National Immunization Awareness Week being observed from April 25-30th, Saskatchewan health officials are reminding of the importance of immunizations to protect children against preventable diseases.
“Routine childhood immunizations are free to all Saskatchewan families through public health offices throughout the province,” Health Minister Paul Merriman said. “Our province’s team of public health care professionals continue their important work to keep childhood vaccination rates on track and keep our kids’ safe.”
Fully immunized children are less likely to spread vaccine preventable diseases to those around them, including those too young to be immunized or to those who have medical conditions that make them more susceptible to serious disease, according to health officials.
“Routine childhood immunization is the most effective way to protect our children against vaccine preventable diseases like chicken pox, measles, mumps, whooping cough or polio,” Saskatchewan Health Authority’s Medical Director for Immunization Dr. Tania Diener said. “If children are not vaccinated, diseases thought to be gone in Saskatchewan could reappear.”
Information on Saskatchewan immunization programs, the Routine Childhood Immunization Schedule, as well as vaccine fact sheets are all available online.
For more information on immunizations, residents can contact their local public health office, call HealthLine 811, or visit the Government of Saskatchewan website.