As he reminded British Columbia parents to update their children’s vaccinations before the start of school, the provincial health minister also blamed bad actors and the U.S. administration for falling vaccination rates. Ravi Kahlon spoke alongside the provincial health officer on Thursday, encouraging parents to add a review and update of immunizations to their “to-do” list, while urging them to use only reliable sources for information. “There’s too many bad actors on social media that just do whatever they do for clicks and spread lies about the need and the opportunities that come with vaccination,” he told reporters. “We know that the U.S. administration is also spreading misinformation that help spread the deadly virus like measles, so due to these falsehoods, childhood vaccinations are decreasing and the rates of measles are unfortunately increasing.” Youth choosing for themselves The Ministry of Health did not provide figures around vaccination rates, but the province’s top doctor did reveal that since the start of 2025, there’ve been 489 cases of measles in B.C., 52 of them so far this year. “We do have a little bit of complacency, and I think it’s been compounded by some of the negative rhetoric about vaccines, particularly during the pandemic,” said Dr. Bonnie Henry. British Columbia has ‘mature minor consent provisions,’ which means a child who wants to make their own health-care decisions and wants to be vaccinated, for example, can have a conversation with a doctor or pharmacist and potentially obtain one without needing a parent’s consent. “(They) assess your individual ability to understand what these vaccines are for, for example, how they work, what the risks are, what the benefits are,” said Henry, who was clear that the decision and one’s vaccination status needn’t be revealed to any family members through medical records. “It is private, it’s your own personal information.” Some doctors describe it as “youth rebellion” when they see young adults coming in to make their own decisions. Questions welcome Dr. Anna Wolak, a longtime family physician, encouraged those unsure of their own personal risk or just generally on the fence about immunizations to have a conversation with a public health nurse, doctor, or pharmacist about their concerns. “Guaranteed, we’ve heard them all and we have an answer and we can address them. And if we don’t have an answer, we can help you and look it up using our scientific sources,” she said. Having practised medicine in the Philippines, Wolak has first-hand knowledge that’s fortified her trust in the science around vaccines and made her a passionate advocate. “I’ve seen people get very sick from measles. I’ve seen people die from chickenpox,” she said. “I know how bad this can be and this is why we want to protect you.”
