In recent months I have watched with alarm as measles continues to spread across North America. August is National Immunization Awareness Month—an opportunity to share some thoughts on the risks of diseases that those who choose to forego vaccinations dismiss as harmless.

Thanks to community immunity (also known as herd immunity) from vaccines, measles was unheard of in Canada and many western countries until recently. With its recent re-emergence, I’m concerned that it’s just a matter of time before we see a return of rubella, polio, mumps, and other dangerous diseases that have been eradicated for decades.

Individual freedom vs. the common good

I respect the right of individuals to make decisions about their own health and their own bodies. However, does that freedom of choice give an individual the right to put others at risk? It’s a debate we’ve heard often over the years on subjects like drunk driving and smoking. During the pandemic, individual rights and freedoms were in the spotlight as people protested mask mandates, restrictions on gatherings and travel, and vaccination requirements.

Those who choose not to vaccinate claim they’re not putting anyone at risk because those of us who trust vaccines should be protected. But what about people who can’t be vaccinated for valid reasons? Or those who don’t have immunity and don’t know it?

Let me tell you my story.

My vaccine story

When I was pregnant with my daughter Laura in 2000, my bloodwork indicated I was not immune to rubella—commonly known as German measles. Naturally, I was concerned because rubella during pregnancy can cause serious birth defects. However, at the time we still had community immunity thanks to high adoption of the MMR (measles mumps rubella) vaccine that had been part of the standard immunization schedule since the 1970s.

Fortunately, I was not exposed to rubella during my pregnancy and delivered a healthy baby. I received the vaccination before leaving the hospital.

Fast forward 25 years. If I was pregnant in 2025 and received the news that I was not immune, I would be very concerned because vaccination rates in Canada have declined to the point where we can no longer count on community immunity for many diseases. (Source: Public Health Canada)

These diseases were devastating

Part of the reason for declining vaccination rates is that the generation of people choosing not to vaccinate their children today aren’t old enough to remember the history of these diseases. A few weeks ago, I read an interesting piece by Charlie Angus on Substack. Angus wrote of people rejoicing in the streets in 1955 when medical researchers announced they had developed a polio vaccine.

Polio was a highly contagious disease known in its time as “the crippler”. The disease attacked nerve cells in the spinal cord, and it led to paralysis in one out of 100 cases. When the paralysis prevented breathing, iron lungs kept individuals alive.

Thanks to immunization, Canada has been polio free since 1994. But polio still exists in other countries—meaning unvaccinated individuals are at risk and could contract polio at any time.

And it wasn’t just polio. All the diseases that are part of today’s standard childhood immunization protocol are highly contagious and carry serious risks. The Government of Ontario website has excellent information about childhood vaccines and the various diseases they prevent.

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Why I had my children vaccinated

When my children were born, there was no question they would be vaccinated. As a parent, I believe it’s my job to protect my children from known risks. I wouldn’t leave them in a bathtub or a swimming pool unsupervised, so why would I willingly expose them to serious illnesses?

Vaccines are safe and effective and most of the conspiracy theories surrounding them have been proven to be false. That said, I recognize that no medical intervention is without risk. Like everything in life, we need to weigh the alternatives and decide if the benefit outweighs the risk.

Weighing the risk

There is a very small risk of side effects from vaccines. Let’s look at some data from the Vaccine Adverse Effects Reporting System (VAERS) in the United States. (Source: History of Vaccines, College of Physicians of Philadelphia)

• Each year, 10 million vaccine doses are administered to babies under one year of age.
• Each year, VAERS receives 30,000 reports of adverse effects.
• Between 10% and 15% (3,000 to 4,500 incidences) of reports to VAERS describe serious medical events that lead to hospitalization, life-threatening illness, disability, or death.
• 4,500 out of 10 million puts the risk of serious side effects at 0.045%, or 1 in 2,222.

Now, compare that to the 1 in 100 risk of paralysis from polio and it‘s hard to argue that the risk of vaccination outweighs the benefits. (Source: Ontario health)

In my case, I accepted the small risk of side effects in the interest of protecting my children from greater harm. I would much rather deal with the fallout of something bad happening because of something I did to protect my child, than the guilt of my child being paralyzed—or worse—from contracting a disease that I could have prevented.

Facts over conspiracies

Sadly, I know this post—and the broader message of National Immunization Awareness Month—won’t be read by the naysayers and conspiracy theorists. Quite often, people opposed to vaccines come at the debate with a sense of superiority. They suggest they don’t need vaccines because they live a healthy lifestyle. Or they insist they have “done their own research” and know better than the scientists who have dedicated their lives to medical research. Sadly, much of the research cited by those who choose not to vaccinate is anecdotal at best.

Meanwhile, the risk is real. Here in southwestern Ontario, a baby born with measles to an unvaccinated mother recently died. There were other complicating factors, but it makes me sad that the death may have been preventable. And I wonder how many more deaths it will take for people to change their behaviour.

In 2025, science is under attack. This year more than ever, we need National Immunization Awareness Month. Visit the Immunize Canada website for resources, and brush up on tips for productive conversations on contentious issues in this post. 

The public health we take for granted could be in jeopardy.