Measles is a highly contagious illness that poses a significant risk to humanity. It flourishes in populations who do not extensively use the child health system for several reasons. Unfortunately, as Malvina, Kristina, and Rachel mentioned in their post, the Canadian government frequently lacks the means to identify and recognize the target communities needing access to the healthcare system, particularly those with low vaccine coverage (Crowcroft, 2014).
Moreover, besides inadequate surveillance systems, Measles increases amongst unvaccinated Canadians who travel abroad because of their exposure to the pathogen. For example, Rachel mentioned that from 2011 to 2012 alone, the Province of Quebec had a measles outbreak that reached 776 cases, making it the largest measles outbreak of any country in the North. The outbreak could be attributed to the low immunization coverage needed to eliminate the infectious agent and insufficient vaccination coverage for vulnerable Canadians mentioned by Malvina, Rachel, and Kristina (Crowcroft, 2014).
In addition, Malvina, Kristina, and Rachel mentioned that there’s a pervading hesitancy for some to vaccinate despite the availability of vaccines (Green et al., 2021). Vaccine hesitancy could be due to a person’s perception and knowledge regarding vaccination safety and effectiveness. Unwillingness could also be due to underlying healthcare issues. Kristina cited Green et al. (2021), wherein people are swayed by inaccurate information and non-science facts, which may come from political influence. Rachel added that some parents believe a study linking the MMR vaccine to one of the causes of autism in children (Green et al., 2021). Because of this, Kristina feared that misinformation, such as anti-vaccination campaigns, could risk the child’s health (Green et al., 2021).
To help mitigate the problem, all students agree that the following measures must be done, namely: Surveillance, Vaccination awareness programs, advocacy, collaboration with other healthcare professionals, community organizations, and stakeholders; establishing trust with parents; and worldwide governmental and organizational collaboration. As Malvina mentioned, these measures will motivate people to get their children immunized at their earliest stage of life and will go a long way in protecting everyone. Moreover, regarding issues in the propagation of misconceptions about vaccination, Jeanne said that debunking common misconceptions about their safety is also imperative (Stanhope et al., 2017; Green et al., 2021). Rachel further added to provide up-to-date and evidence-based information to the parents (Green et al., 2021).
In terms of advocacy, Malvina said that nurses should continue to listen to the concerns of every mother regarding immunization and its side effects to address the misconception associated with children’s immunization. This requires establishing a good and professional relationship between the nurse and the parents. Moreover, Rachel added that as health promoters, it is crucial to establish trust first because it aids parents in sound decision-making regarding vaccination. Furthermore, confidence can only be achieved through several encounters with parents and discussing vaccination. On the other hand, lacking trust can lead parents to seek information and support from other biased groups on social media against immunization.
Another strategy mentioned by Jeanne that could encourage vaccination is collaboration and partnership with healthcare providers, community organizations, and other stakeholders (Green et al., 2021; Stanhope et al., 2017). According to Malvina, as community health nurses, we must continue to advocate for early vaccination of all newborns, follow up with parents of
children if their vaccination is not up to date, and provide accessible vaccinations to community health centers. In addition, both Malvina and Jeanne recommended prompt and timely vaccination appointments for mothers. Consequentially, these interventions will help eliminate measles within the community.
On the other hand, on a grand scale, Rachel suggested Canada not only sustain elimination within its borders but also work with Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) and World Health Organization to support other countries in measles elimination (Crowcroft, 2014). This will significantly decrease measle infection and prevent another pandemic similar to COVID-19.
Lastly, Rachel, Malvina, and Jeanne added that local and global surveillance requires isolation of infected people, tracking down their contacts, and making sure that anyone who may have been exposed to the virus gets the required immunizations or other preventive measures (Crowcroft, 2014; Stanhope et al., 2017). This also requires a strong link between good public health microbiology and epidemiology (Crowcroft, 2014).
In conclusion, measles poses a significant threat to humanity. An inadequate surveillance system and parents’ hesitancy to vaccinate despite the availability of vaccines could lead to an increase in unvaccinated individuals and consequently result in the spread of measles. Therefore, measures such as a surveillance system in place, vaccination awareness programs, advocacy, collaboration with other healthcare professionals, community organizations, and stakeholders, establishing trust with parents, and worldwide governmental and organizational partnership can help prevent an outbreak.
